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DISCOURSES, 



DELIVERED IK THE 



COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY; 



ADDRESSED CHIEFLY TO 



CANDIDATES FOR THE FIRST DEGREE IN THE ARTS; 



NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS, 



INCLUDING 



A HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE COLLEGE, 



FROM ITS ORIGIN TO THE 



ACCESSION OF PRESIDENT WITHERSPOON. 



BY ASHBEL GREEN, D.D. LL.D. 

/-* — • 
PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE. 



/ PUBLISHED BY J* ^O^^g?*' 

' E. LITTELL, 

88 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia — Warren Street, Trenton; and 

R. NORMS HENRY, 

129 Broadway, New York. , 

GEO : SHERMAN, PRINT, TRENTON. 

1822. 



-SSJ* 



•4*° 



Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to wit : 

*********** BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the third day of July, in the 

* % forty-sixth year of the independence of the United States of 

* SEAL * £ America, A. D. 1822, Eliakim Littell, of the said District, 
*********** hath deposited in this office the title of a Book, the right where- 
of he claims as proprietor in the words following-, to wit : — " Discourses, de- 
"livered in the College of New Jersey; addressed chiefly to Candidates for 
" the first degree in the Arts : with Notes and Illustrations, including a His- 
« torical Sketch of the College, from its origin to the accession of President 
" Witherspoon. By Ashbel Green, D. D. LL. D. President of the College." 
In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled "An 
Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, 
Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the 
times therein mentioned." — And also to the Act, entitled, " An Act supple- 
mentary to an Act, entitled, ' An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, 
by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and pro- 
prietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned,' and extending 
the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical 
and other prints." 

D. CALDWELL, 
Clerk of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



TO THE 

GRADUATES 

AND 

STUDENTS 

OF THE 

COLLEGE OF NEW-JERSEY, 

THIS VOLUME 

IS RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY 
INSCRIBED, 

THE AUTHOR. 



PREFACE 



IT has been the usage of the College of New- 
Jersey, ever since its foundation, for the Presi- 
dent, on the Sabbath preceding the annual Com- 
mencement, to preach a sermon, or make a par- 
ticular address, to the candidates for the Bach- 
elor's degree. This laudable usage gave occasion 
to the first six discourses, in the present volume; 
the last three were delivered at other times, 
but with much the same view as those which 
precede them. 

It is difficult to speak frequently and appro- 
priately on the same subject, or occasion, with- 
out a degree of repetition — a difficulty which the 
author has very sensibly experienced. He could 
not, indeed, discharge his duty, without inculcat- 
ing on each class, when departing from his care 
forever, a number of the same leading ideas. 
He might, and did, endeavour to vary his topicks 



v i PREFACE. 

as much as he could, and to make that the prin- 
cipal point in one discourse, which was inciden- 
tal or subordinate in another ; yet, after all, a 
considerable degree of sameness was not to be 
avoided. This sameness, too, it was manifest, 
would become much more apparent, if the dis- 
courses should be printed and collected into a 
volume, than it had been when they were deliv- 
ered separately, at the distance of a year from 
each other. 

That these considerations have not restrained 
the author from the publication of his discourses, 
the reader perceives by tbe volume before him. 
It was believed that the candid would duly ap- 
preciate what has now been suggested; would 
recollect that the design of a discourse and the 
circumstances which attended its delivery, ought 
always to be kept in view, in judging of its mer- 
its or defects. But tbe principal inducement, if 
the author is not deceived, which led to this pub- 
lication, was the hope that, with all its imper- 
fections, it might do some good — especially to 



PREFACE. vii 

the youth to whom the discourses were first ad- 
dressed, and who have since been widely scat- 
tered over our country. Through the medium of 
the press, these youth, it was thought, might be 
addressed again, and possibly with more effect 
than when they cursorily heard from the lips of 
the speaker, what they might thus deliberately 
peruse and consider. It also occurred, that the 
most of the discourses were applicable to youth 
of all descriptions, and much in all of them, to 
readers of every class and age. And if, under 
the blessing of God, which the author earnestly 
implores, it shall be found that the reading of 
these discourses has done good to souls — or to 
a single soul — the manner in which the publi- 
cation of them may affect his own reputation, 
ought to be, and he trusts will be, a matter of 
no great concern. 

The Notes and Illustrations will, perhaps, 
prove more interesting to some readers, than 
the discourses. In the historical sketch of the 
College, and the biographical notice of the first 



vni PREFACE. 

five presidents, the author has taken great pains 
to be correct in his statement of facts. He is 
aware, however, that, after all his vigilance to 
exclude errors, some may still be found; and he 
will accept it as a particular favour, if any read- 
er who may observe an error, however minute, 
will make it known to him by letter; that it may 
be corrected, if the history should ever be re- 
published. 



CONTENTS. 



DISCOURSE I. 

The Union of Piety and Science. 
ACTS VII. 22. 
And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and 
<was mighty in words and in deeds. 
Connected with 
ACTS XXII. 3. 
I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city of 
Cilicia ; yet brought up, in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel — 

DISCOURSE II. 

God acknowledged directing the path of duty. 
PROV. III. 6. 
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy 
paths.- 

DISCOURSE III. 

The good man's protection and support. 
I. PETER III. 13. 14. 
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that 
which is good ? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, hap- 
py are ye. 

DISCOURSES IV. and V. 

The word of God the guide of youth. 
PSALM CXIX. 9. 
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way ? By taking 
heed thereto according to thy word £ 



CONTENTS. 

DISCOURSE VI. 

Christian integrity explained and recommended. 
II. CORINTHIANS I. 12. 

For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in 
simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by 
the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, 
and more abundantly to you-ward. 

DISCOURSE VII. 

A PLEA FOR EARLY PIETY. 

ECCLESIASTES XII. I- 

Remember now thy Creator, in the days of thy youth. 

DISCOURSE VIII. 

The man of false honour. 
MARK VI. 26. 
And the king was exceeding sorry ; yet for his oaths'* sake, and 
for their takes who sat with him, he would not reject her. 

DISCOURSE IX. 

The devout man. 

ACTS X. 2. 

A devout man-~ 



NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 



NOTE A. 

Quotation from Longinus, relative to the Apostle Paul. 

NOTE B. 

Notice of a publication of the Rev. Jonathan Dickinson, the 
first president of the college. 

NOTE C. 

Sketch of the life and character of Governor Belcher, the foun- 
der of the college — The addresses made to him by the board of trus- 
tees ; their early transactions relative to the college ; and their de- 
termination that the edifice should be called Nassau-Hall. The 
patronage which the college has received, and its need of additional 
patronage. 



CONTENTS. xi 

NOTE D. 

A historical sketch of the origin and design of the college ; its sys- 
tem of education ; a biographical notice of its first five presidents ; 
and a short account of the institution under their several administra- 
tions; epitaphs, circular letters, present course of study, and amount 
of expense per annum, of a resident in college. 

NOTE E. 

Dr. Arbuthnot's epitaph on Francis Chartres. 

NOTE F. 

Recommendation of Dr. Witherspoon's "address to the senior 
class, on the Lord's day preceding commencement." 

NOTE G. 

On the reading of the ancient classick writers, and the best method 
of preventing any ill effects which may be apprehended from a 
familiarity with them. 

NOTE G. [duplicate.] 
Extract from the American edition of Rees' Cyclopoedia; reten- 
tive to the manner in which certain Socinian writers treat the Holy 
Scriptures, and the doctrines they contain. 

NOTE H. 

A memorial of the author's deceased Son. 



i 

DISCOURSE I. 



THE UNION OF PIETY AND SCIENCE, 



ACTS VII. 22. 

Ci And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyp- 
tians, and was mighty in words and in deeds" 

CONNECTED WITH 

A€TS XXII. 3. 

a I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, 
a city of Cilicia ; yet brought up in this city, at the 
feet of Gamaliel" — 

X HESE passages of scripture, my brethren, have been 
chosen for the purpose of maintaining and illustrating 
a point, previously determined on as the subject of this 
discourse — namely — the importance of the union 

OF PIETY AND SCIENCE. 

, The institution to which we belong was founded to 
promote this union. To inculcate its importance, there- 
fore, appeared to me a very fit subject for the present 
occasion : and the passages of scripture recited, seem 
to present the point which I am to press, in a manner 

B 



2 DISCOURSE I. 

highly favourable to my purpose. They serve to show 
that the great legislator of the Jews, and the great 
apostle of the Gentiles, were both eminent for the 
union of piety and science. 

For piety, even among inspired men, they were cer- 
tainly eminent. Moses is denominated, by way of em- 
phasis, " the man of GOD." We are told that " the 
Lord spake unto Moses, face to face, as a man speaketh 
unto his friend ;" and that " there arose not a prophet 
since in Israel, like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew 
face to face." His whole history shows, that his inter- 
course with GOD, his devotion to the divine glory, and 
his benevolence to the children of his people, were of 
the most extraordinary kind ; and of course, that his 
measure of sanctification was peculiarly great. 

This holy man was, at the same time, a distinguished 
proficient in all the learning of his day. Educated as 
the son of Pharoah's daughter, he would of course have 
the advantage of the best schools of Egypt, then the 
most distinguished seat of science in the world : and 
the singular attainments which he made in these schools 
is attested in the text, which tells us that " Moses was 
learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" — Whatever 
they could teach, he had learned. It is added, that he 
was " mighty in words and in deeds." Though not an 
eloquent speaker, yet his words, as well as his deeds 
were mighty. No doubt the substance of what he said 
is here, as it always ought to be, chiefly regarded. Yet 



DISCOURSE I. 3 

the criticks in the Hebrew language tell us, that his 
very style is characterized by its peculiar purity and 
excellence : and many of you know that he is quoted 
as an example of the sublime in writing, by Longinus, 
whose judgment on this subject has so long been consid- 
ered as a standard. Such then was Moses — eminently 
holy, and eminently learned. Such was the man honour- 
ed of GOD to deliver his chosen people from bondage^ 
to receive his law at Sinai, to establish the religious in- 
stitutions and found the civil government of the Hebrew 
nation. 

Of the distinguished piety of the apostle Paul — dis* 
tinguished, you will remember, among inspired men, for 
others are not to claim even a comparison here — it is 
hardly necessary to speak. He had been " caught up 
to the third heaven — caught up into paradise — and 
heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a 
man to utter." He seemed indeed to live in heaven, 
while yet on earth. His whole soul, with all its enlarg- 
ed faculties, was incessantly on the stretch, in contem- 
plating, admiring, and describing the wonders of the 
plan of redemption ; and in devising and executing 
schemes for extending the Redeemer's kingdom, and pro- 
moting the glory of GOD on earth. He laboured more 
abundantly in his Master's cause, than any of the other 
apostles. He " counted not his life dear unto himself/* 
if he might finish his ministerial course with joy. 

While he earnestly desired "to depart and to be with 
Christ/' as " far better" than continuing in this world, 



4 DISCOURSE t. 

he was still willing to continue ; — to endure every pri- 
vation, to suffer, and labour, and be persecuted, and 
reviled, and to seal his testimony with his blood, that he 
might propagate the gospel, do good to souls, and mag- 
nify his Saviour's love. Yet this man, who " was not 
a whit behind the very chiefest apostles," esteemed him- 
self the chief of sinners, "less than the least of all 
saints, and not meet to be called an apostle." By this 
deep humility he rose high in the school of Christ. 
Verily, it seems that one who could be what Paul was, 
and yet estimate himself as he did, must be as deeply 
sanctified as any of the corrupted race of Adam ever was. 
This man had been sent from his native city to Jeru- 
salem, for his education ; had been " brought up at the 
feet of Gamaliel," then the most renowned Jewish doc- 
tor ; aud there is every reason to believe that, as " he 
profited beyond many his equals" in years, in the Jew- 
ish religion, so that he surpassed them, also, in Jewish 
erudition. But beside this, his quoting of the Greek 
poets ; his allusion to their philosophers and their doc- 
trines ; his masterly treatment of every subject ; his 
close and profound reasoning ; his simple and touching 
eloquence ; his sublime descriptions and pathetic senti- 
ments ; all mark the superiority of his genius, and the 
extent and variety of his knowledge. Accordingly we 
find — and it is worthy of remark — that the same ancient 
heathen critick, who mentions Moses among the authors 
of the sublime in writing, places Paul in the same class.* 

* See note A at the end of the volume. 



DISCOURSE I. 5 

Such then was the apostle Paul — eminent for piety, 
and eminent for learning. And his success in spreading 
the gospel was, probably, greater than that of all the 
other apostles united. He was honoured, too, to write 
a far larger portion, than any other individual, of the 
New- Testament. Nearly a third part of the whole 
came, under the guidance of inspiration, from his pen. 

To demonstrate, as it would seem, that the power was 
all of GOD, our Saviour chose his first twelve apostles 
from illiterate men, that there might be no pretence that 
human talents or acquirements had procured for it its 
first acceptance : and then, to honour the established 
order of nature, which is nothing else than his own or- 
der, he chose one man, possessing the best endowments 
and attainments, and him he used to extend his kingdom 
and his triumphs, more, it is. probable, than all the rest. 

It is apparent then, that both in founding the Jewish 
state, and in establishing the Christian church, the in- 
strumentality chiefly employed and honoured, was the 
instrumentality of men conspicuous for the union of pie- 
ty and science. Moses, the man of GOD, was " learned 
in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." Paul, the great 
apostle of the Gentiles, " was brought up at the feet of 
Gamaliel." 

Now, as the Deity always adapts means to ends with 
infinite wisdom, and we here see what were the instru- 
ments which he actually employed, when the greatest 



6 DISCOURSE I. 

ends were to be effected under his immediate appoint- 
ment and guidance, it is manifest that the high import- 
ance, both to church and state, of the union of piety and 
science, is vouched and ratified by divine authority. 

Let us then consider, a little in detail, some of the 
facts and principles, by which the importance of this 
union may be illustrated and enforced. 

I. It is this union which perfects, as far as it can be 
perfected in this world, the nature of man. 

The two great classes of mental powers are, the intel- 
lectual and moral. In the primitive perfect state of 
man, these different faculties were duly balanced, and 
had that just and mutual influence on each other which 
was calculated to raise our nature to its highest point of 
elevation, in the scale of intelligent being. 

We know from the temptation which prompted the 
first transgression, that the desire of knowledge was then 
strong. We also know, that while man retained his per- 
fection of rectitude, all his knowledge must have been 
subservient to moral use and improvement. It fol- 
lows, necessarily, that the more he knew, the more ex- 
tensively would he be prepared to serve and glorify his 
Creator, and would not fail, from his perfect holiness, to 
employ all his knowledge for this high purpose. The 
complete reverse of this is now witnessed. Man has 
lost by his fall the moral image of his Creator, while he 
has retained, if not perfectly, yet in great vigour, his 
intellectual powers. Hence those powers are sometimes 



DISCOURSE X, 7 

seen in much strength and with great improvement, 
while he remains destitute of all moral excellence- 
Men have occasionally appeared, who seemed to pos- 
sess, at once, the talents and the depravity of demons. 
On the other side, unquestionable goodness has some- 
times been seen, in alliance with great weakness, and 
great ignorance. 

But, let it be well observed, when eminent piety and 
eminent knowledge are conjoined in the same individ- 
ual, then the right balance, proportion and order of 
the human faculties are restored ; then man regains 
the true elevation of his character ; then he is, in the 
exact degree in which this union takes place, brought 
back to the very state which he lost by the fall. And 
as this is the fact, in regard to individuals, so it fol- 
lows, since societies are made up of individuals, that 
whenever a society is composed of those who possess 
this character, and just in proportion as it is composed 
of them, it becomes truly excellent. It exhibits man, in 

his social character, amiable and dignified. It renders 

* 
eommunities eminently happy and respectable. It gives 

them an approximation — very imperfect indeed, but 

still most desirable — to the perfect society of heaven; 

where intelligence and holiness are united, in the most 

consummate degree. 

The statement just offered seemed too important not 

to be made prominent, by a distinct presentment. It 

includes, I am sensible, a part of what I am now more 

particularly to explain— 



8 DISCOURSE h 

II. That the union of piety and science is calculated 
to preserve each from abuse, and to carry each to its 
highest point of improvement. 

Piety, enlightened by science, is not only most likely 
to be preserved from that superstition and enthusiasm, 
into which, alas ! ignorant piety often runs ; but its 
sphere of action is greatly enlarged ; its incitements aud 
its resources are multiplied. It is of the nature of all 
genuine piety to turn every thing to its own improve- 
ment ; to make every object and subject minister to se- 
rious reflection, and the devout feelings of the heart ; to 
see the displays of the (Jivine perfections in all which it 
views of great, or wise, or good ; to rise from the crea- 
ture to the Creator — "to look through nature up to 
nature's GOD." 

In particular, the well informed man of piety acquires 
a more exact and extensive knowledge of revealed truth, 
than, without science, can ordinarily be obtained ; and 
thus increases, at once, the scope, the motives, and the 
facilities for improvement in holiness. Science, also, 
sanctified by divine grace, aids its possessor in acquiring 
the most thorough knowledge of his own nature and 
heart ; and from this circumstance, is favourable to the 
cultivation of inward purity, and of that profound humili- 
ty, which is so characteristic a feature of evangelical re- 
ligion. In fact the brightest examples of piety — of hum- 
ble piety — have been found in men of considerable sci- 
ence. It is even, I believe, a general truth, that the 
humblest christians are those who are the best informed. 



DISCOURSE L 9 

Nor can I here forbear the remark, that the christian 
religion itself supposes a degree of knowledge, in order 
to its general reception and prevalence. It, indeed, 
provides for weakness, for ignorance, and almost for 
idiocy. But in its establishment in society, it is not, like 
the systems of paganism and idolatry, a system that will 
consist with deep and general ignorance, and be favoured 
by it. You cannot propagate and preserve Christianity^ 
in any community, without propagating knowledge at the 
same time. You must have a measure of civilization and 
a measure of mental improvement, among every people 
where you can reasonably hope that Christianity will 
be permanent. The genius of the religion itself, its very 
nature and essence, demand this, for its preservation 
and extension : and its doing so, is among the eviden- 
ces that it is from GOD, who gave us the nature which 
his religion will, in all cases and in all respects, im- 
prove. 

Let us now view the other side of the subject ; and 
we shall see that the service which religion renders to 
science is not less than that which she receives from it. 

Science perverted may do, and has actually done, more 

injury to mankind in all their interests, religious, social 

and political, than can be described or estimated. In 

every age of the christian church, scientific infidels 

have been her bitterest enemies, and have aimed against 

her the most envenomed and deadly weapons. Their 

success at different times has been considerable ; but 

in no other age, I think, was it ever as great as it has 

C 



10 DISCOURSE I. 

been in the very age in which we live. Of this age, un- 
sanctified science has been preeminently, the scourge and 
curse. This it was, undoubtedly, which converted the 
most populous nation of Europe, for a season, into a nation 
of professed infidels and atheists ; and which spread the 
deleterious influence of their shocking system, in a great- 
er or less degree, over a large part of the civilized world. 
The natural and unavoidable consequences ensued. As 
civil society is held together by religion, when this ce- 
ment was removed, it tottered to its foundations. The 
prostration of altars was succeeded by the fall of thrones. 
The human mind itself was unbalanced and perverted. 
Men seemed to act, at that time, as men never acted 
before. The usual grounds of calculation, in regard to 
human conduct, appeared to be taken away. Both the 
moral and the political world were convulsed and con- 
fused. Such was the effect of infidel philosophy, when 
it gained the ascendant. It is no exaggeration to say, 
that all the massacre, carnage, convulsion, disorder and 
misrule, all the misery, moral and political, which has 
overspread and changed the face of Europe in our times, 
may be traced to unsanctified science as its proper 
origin; to the learning, the eloquence, the sophistry. 
the wit, the plots and the influence of infidels, playing 
the mighty engine of mental energy with strokes power- 
ful, frequent, and directed with consummate skill, against 
all the sacred bulwarks of religion and morality. 

I cannot pass from this topic without remarking, that 
it would seem to be a part of the scheme of providence. 



DISCOURSE!. 11 

(for we pretend not to fathom its depths) to show, by 
what took place in the dark ages of the church, the ef- 
fect of religion without knowledge ; and in contrast with 
this, to show, by what has taken place in this infidel age, 
and in the very same countries, the effect of science 
without religion ; and thus to teach the world most im- 
pressively and extensively, that these two great direct- 
ors of human conduct should always take counsel of each 
other ; that they can never act separately without pro- 
ducing the most lamentable evils ; and, therefore, that 
every lover of mankind should earnestly endeavour to 
preserve their union :■ — To teach, especially, that such 
is human depravity, that it will pervert knowledge it- 
self, favourable as it is to virtue ; and that man, desti- 
tute of religion and distinguished by science, may rival 
a fallen angel in malignity and mischief. 

But, notwithstanding the " bad eminence" to whicli 
unsanctified science may thus sometimes rise, it is still 
a general and most important truth, that nothing is 
so favourable to scientific pursuits, as that calm 
and tranquil state of mind, and that exemption from 
vicious courses and passions, which true religion in- 
spires and insures. Accordingly we see in fact, that 
though there have been, as we admit and lament, 
impious men of great literary attainments, yet the 
remotest regions of science have oftenest been reached 
by those who were religious as well as learned. Beyond 
all controversy, religion here may claim the palm, 
When we come to reckon up those who have stood in 



12 DISCOURSED 

the very first ranks of genius and science, in every age 
of the christian church, by far the majority will be found 
among the friends of religion ; many of them among its 
brightest examples and most ardent propagators. 

It deserves particular notice that religion favours the 
acquisition of the most solid and useful knowledge, by 
preserving men from the love and cultivation of " sci- 
ence falsely so called." Of trifling, and merely curi- 
ous speculations, it forbids all ardent pursuit. It 
permits no more of them to be known, than is suffi- 
cient to expose their vanity. It represents true phi* 
losophy herself, only as a handmaid to devotion. It 
places every thing on a right scale of estimation. It 
teaches its pupil to consider every thing as subordinate 
and subservient to moral improvement. It pronounces 
accursed, every subject and every pursuit, which is in- 
consistent with christian purity. It leaves not its pos- 
sessor to the mere force of inclination ; but urges him, 
and that incessantly, by the strongest sense of duty, to 
press forward in every praiseworthy attainment ; always 
to seek most earnestly those things which are the most 
valuable, and which may best promote, either mediately 
or directly, the glory of GOD, and the good of his crea- 
tures. 

III. The union of piety and science, happily enables 
those in whom it is realized, to correct the errors, and 
prevent the mischiefs, of those in whom this union does 
not take place. 



discourse r. is 

Pious men, without learning, know that learning is 
too often possessed without piety ; and as mankind are 
extremely apt to undervalue, or to affect to despise, 
what is not among their own acquisitions, learning itself 
is frequently depreciated, even by good people who 
have never acquired it ; especially if they have become, 
in any degree, the leaders of others. They are jealous 
of learned men; jealous of their superiority; jealous 
exceedingly that they are not real friends to religion; 
and jealous, above all, that these men will not be the 
patrons of some fond notions of their own. But if 
a man of learning appears who is confessedly and 
eminently pious ; who, it is acknowledged by all, 
considers religion as superior to learning itself— 
superior to every earthly object and consideration; 
whose holy life and ardent labours in the cause of 
Christ have put him above all suspicion ; this man they 
will hear ; to him they will listen ; to him they will grant 
their confidence : he can manage them ; he can correct 
their errors, reform their extravagances, and persuade 
them to yield to reason and receive instruction. In a 
word, if they have not become lost in fanaticism, he 
can form them to just views and conduct, in regard 
to religion : And as only such a man can produce 
this effect ; so, to be capable of producing it — to be ca- 
pable of preventing or arresting such a deluge of evili 
as often springs from enthusiasm, deserves to be esteem- 
ed among the best and highest of human attainments. 
Of these attainments our own Dickinson and Edwards* 

• See Note B at the end of the volume, 



14 DISCOURSE I. 

were illustrious examples. Among the very first men 
of their time, in this country, for intellectual strength 
and furniture, they were still more distinguished for 
piety than for learning. In their day enthusiasm ap- 
peared in the church to which they belonged. Few 
other men could gain an audience of the deluded ; but 
these men obtained it, because the reality and em- 
inence of their piety were questioned by none. They 
spoke and wrote so as happily to correct the spreading 
evil, and the good which they effected was great and 
lasting. 

In like manner, only pious men of distinguished sci- 
ence can be fully prepared to encounter those who turn 
science against religion. But for a few men of piety, 
who are scholars of the first order, it is impossible to say 
what would be the limits of the mischief, which learned 
infidels, heretics and formalists, would do to religion. 
It would seem as if they would soon destroy all con- 
fidence in holy scripture, and all the belief of Christian- 
ity which is founded on argument ; that they woidd 
have all men of liberal minds and pursuits on their side ; 
all youth of aspiring views ; all fashion and all power. 
We know, indeed, that this they will never fully achieve ; 
because we know that the church of Christ is founded 
on a rock, against which the gates of hell shall never 
prevail. But although, in every respect, the power is 
all cf GOD, by which his cause in the earth is effectively 
maintained, yet it is our duty carefully to consider and 
assiduously to employ the means, which he has appoint*. 



DISCOURSE I. 15 

ed, and which he ordinarily blesses, for the attainment of 
this end. And since miracles have ceased, by which, at 
first, Christianity was sustained and extended, in oppo- 
sition to all the learning, wit and power of man, it ap- 
pears that science is the chief instrument, by which 
religion is to be defended against its learned, malignant 
and potent adversaries. When the christian champion, 
with genius, erudition and truth, all in his favour, 
goes forth against this embodied and embattled host of 
darkness, it recoils — it is disconcerted, discomfited and 
defeated. Its learning is combated by better learn- 
ing ; its argument by stronger argument ; its eloquence 
by higher eloquence ; its wit by keener wit ; its mis- 
representation and sophistry? by the luminous and 
resistless display of truth. It is driven off the field 
of its own choosing. It shifts and varies its position 
a thousand times, and still in all it is met, faced, 
and put to the worse. The cause of truth constantly 
gains by the conflict, till, at last, she triumphs glori- 
ously : And the thousands who always go as reputation 
points, follow truth because she triumphs, more than be- 
cause they have examined and measured her weapons, 
or beheld and been subdued by her charms. They are 
preserved, however, from the camp of the enemy, and 
may eventually be trained into good soldiers of Jesus 
Christ, 

IV. When science is united with religion, the latter 
is most adorned, recommended and promoted, in the 
world at large — This point has been necessarily antiei- 



16 DISCOURSE I. 

pated ; but I must, for a moment, present it singly and 
distinctly to your view. 

Never does religion appear to all men so venerable, 
so commanding, so attractive, as when seen in a man of 
strong natural powers, cultivated and enriched by vari- 
ous and extensive knowledge. When one such example i& 
exhibited in real life — when it becomes conspicuously evi- 
dent that the loftiest intellectual endowments have bowed 
before the cross of Christ, and have counted all things 
but loss for him, then religion receives the best homage 
and the highest honours which mortals can render. Then 
it is demonstrated that " the foolishness of GOD is wiser 
than men.*' The influence of one such man, not only in 
defending evangelical truth against its learned assailants, 
which we have already considered, but in preventing or 
putting to silence the profane scoffs of impious witlings ; 
in removing the prejudices of youth who are ambitious 
of intellectual excellence ; and in commanding a reverence 
for religion among all who observe him, is of high con- 
sideration indeed. When a few such characters appear 
in a cluster, they bear down all open and avowed oppo- 
sition to religion, within the whole wide sphere of their 
influence. 

But even in a much lower gradation of character ; 
in that which comprehends men of good sense and 
sound learning, such as may be found in consider^ 
able numbers where the union of piety and science is 
patronized and encouraged, the influence of the cause 
we contemplate, in recommending and promoting relig- 



DISCOURSE I. 17 

ton, is truly great and desirable. The mass of mankind 
cannot, and they are sensible that they cannot, decide 
for themselves on controverted points, which involve facts 
beyond their power to investigate : and when they see 
men of confessed ability and acknowledged information, 
and who also are manifestly and eminently men of integ- 
rity and virtue, the advocates of religion, they follow 
their judgment on this important subject. The doubts 
which they had entertained are, in a great measure, re- 
solved by the fact, that honest, conscientious men, fully 
capable of judging, have decided on this controverted 
point ; have decided for religion, and devoted their lives 
to its service. In this, and in various other ways, 
talent and learning, when seen to be united with unfeign- 
ed goodness, always have had, and always will have, a 
wonderful influence, over the minds of mankind, in be- 
half of religion. They invest their possessor with a 
dignity and consequence which cannot easily be resisted. 
Having been concerned with my brethren for a number 
of years in the employment and direction of missionaries, 
I have had numerous occasions to observe the truth 
and the importance of what I inculcate in this part of 
our subject. At first, it was supposed that, as the mis- 
sionaries were to travel among people chiefly illiterate, 
their qualifications, as to talents and attainments, might 
be of an inferior kind. But experience soon exposed 
this error. It was speedily found that the very best 
talents and attainments, possessed by the clergy of our 

church, were needed for this service. It was found that 

D 



18 DISCOURSE I. 

among the people to be evangelized, there were some 
men of prime sense and considerable improvement, who 
had great influence in directing the popular sentiment, 
and sometimes in directing it wrong : and that if the 
missionary were not able to meet and cope with these, 
he lost nearly his whole influence ; perhaps injured the 
cause which he was sent to promote : — that even in; 
places where these able men were not found, the mis- 
sionary's character for sense and knowledge, was ever 
his best passport to attention, acceptance and respect : 
and that, of course, one well qualified missionary was 
more useful than many of a different character.' Not 
indeed, that either here, or in any other part of this 
discourse, I would insinuate that any talents of men, 
or even of angels, can convert a single soul ; unless the 
Sovereign Dispenser of all grace shall please to commu- 
nicate it specially along with the means which his min- 
isters employ. But we have already seen that it 
is the usual order of the divine dispensation — that it 
was so even in the apostolic age — that God should suc- 
ceed and bless the natural gifts which he hath himself 
bestowed. Nor is it ever to be forgotten, that not only 
the natural powers which every man possesses, but the 
means and opportunities which he has had to cultivate 
them, and even the disposition to use those means, and 
his whole inclination to exert himself to do good, are 
all as really the gifts of God, as the precious and special 
influences of his grace. " I obtained mercy of the Lord 
to be faithful," was the declaration of an apostle. 



DISCOURSE L 19 

Neither is it to be understood, that I suppose that in 
missions to the heathen, "and in some other missionary 
enterprizes, men with but little liberal knowledge, may 
not be very usefully employed ; especially when there 
are some of another description, under whose direction 
and patronage they may act. The Moravian missions 
are striking and incontrovertible proofs that simple men, 
possessing eminent prudence and patience, with primi* 
tive piety and zeal, may execute the plans of more com- 
prehensive minds, with the most; desirable, and even 
wonderful, effect. Nay, I must not omit to state ex* 
plicitly, that even where the gospel is fully established 
-—where churches are regularly organized and settled, 
men of but very moderate intellectual strength and fur** 
niture, may, in a certain proportion, be highly useful 
as pastors in the church. To show the sovereignty of 
his grace, God may sometimes bless their labours, more 
than those of their better qualified brethren. All this 
is not only cheerfully admitted, but considered as im- 
portant to be kept in mind. 

Still, my general and unshaken position is, that the 
possessor of talents and learning, in union with piety, 
is likely to be far more influential in extending the 
Redeemer's kingdom, than any individual in whom 
these qualifications are not united. In support of this 
I appeal to all history, and to all observation, from the 
time of the apostles to our own. In every age it shall 
be found, that the men who have been most useful in 
the church of Christ, have been those who united, in 



20 DISCOURSE I. 

some degree of eminence, piety and science. These 
have been the men most blest, as preachers of the gos- 
pel, while they lived ; and most instrumental in convert- 
ing and edifying millions, by their writings, after their 
death. Being dead they have still spoken ; spoken, not 
to one generation only, but to many. Consult your own 
observation. Look around you, through our own coun- 
try. Who are the most useful pastors in our churches ? 
Whose labours are the most successful ? Who have the 
most influence with their people, and in the church at 
large ? May not the usefulness of the clergy generally, 
be measured on the scale of knowledge and piety united ? 
But I fear I have referred too much to the clergy in 
what I have said. It is the union of science with piety 
in the laity j which often has an influence not less propi- 
tious, in the promotion of religion, as well as in all the 
concerns of civil society. Removed from all suspicion 
of professional motives, of all zeal to support that which 
supports himself, when a layman of genius and erudi- 
tion, who is also distinguished for piety, comes forward 
to plead the cause of religion, he does it with im- 
mense advantage. The fact itself goes far to shut the 
mouth of infidelity. It can no longer utter the stale 
cry of " priestcraft :" or " the man is following his 
trade, and writing for his bread.'' One secular man 
of great parts and learning, may, on this account, serve 
the cause of Christ beyond many in the sacred office. 
Who can estimate the evils which have been prevented, 



DISCOURSE I. 21 

and the good which has resulted from such men appear- 
ing on the side of religion as Grotius, and Boyle, and 
Hale, and Selden, and Newton, and Pascal, and Boer- 
haave, and Addison, and Euler, and Haller, and John- 
son, and Bonnet, and Beattie, and Jones, and the 
titled Teignmouth, more truly ennobled by his office 
and services as president of the British and For- 
eign Bible Society, than if a crown had been added to 
his coronet. 

But in characters of far less eminence than these, in 
common cases, where liberal minded and liberally edu- 
cated laymen, are noted for piety, their example and 
influence is often inestimably precious. At the bar, on 
the bench, in the senate, in the camp, in the navy, or 
in the compting house, they may do more good than 
many who enter the sacred desk. Their' s it is, espe- 
cially, to give effect to plans for the extension of re- 
ligion and learning. — To whom are we indebted for this 
literary Establishment, so dear to us all ? Who had, at 
once, the inclination and the influence, to obtain a royal 
charter, for the avowed object of promoting learning 
and religion — when it was known too, that the religious 
denomination actually and chiefly to be promoted, 
would not perfectly symbolize with that of the court? 
We owe it to a liberally educated, and eminently 
holy layman. We owe it to thee, O Belcher!* — -to 
thee, whose humble piety would not permit the edi- 
fice founded by thyself, to be called by thy name. Tq 

* See note C at the end of the volume, 



22 DISCOURSE h 

thee we owe it, that the illustrious men who have here- 
tofore presided over this institution, had it in their 
power to form for usefulness the numerous youth, who 
have gone forth from this place to serve and extend the 
church, to bless and adorn the state.* May it ever be 
the distinction of this house, to nurture many laymen, 
who shall emulate its founder, in piety and science, in 
benevolence and public spirit ! 

Candidates for the first degree in the arts — < 
In applying this subject to you, for whose benefit chiefly 
it: has been selected and discussed, I have but little to 
say in addition to what you have heard, I would fain 
hope, indeed, that you have already made the proper 
application, each for himself. May we not reasonably 
hope that you all feel the desire, and have conceived the 
purpose, to exhibit in yourselves, according to the mea- 
sure of ability which you severally possess, the union 
<af piety and science ? To form you to this, has, you 
know, been the great object constantly held in view by 
your teachers, through the whole of your collegiate 
course. You are our witnesses?-— and I take you to re- 
cord this day — that to this object our efforts have 
been constantly and assiduously directed. If then 
any of you shall conre short of this object, the respon- 
sibility to yourselves, to your friends, to your country, 
and to your God, will be all your own. You will disap- 
point our fondest hopes, you will act unworthily of the 
place of your education, and set yourselves in direct hos- 
tility with the designs of its pious founders, 

* See note D at the end of the volume. 



DISCOURSE I. 23 

Ah ! if any of you should so far separate piety and 
science, as to be found, at last in the ranks of infidelity? 
it is fearful to think of the account which you will have 
to render at the judgment seat of Christ. Better, in 
this event, that you had remained as ignorant as the 
savage of the wilderness-— infinitely better that you had 
never entered these walls. Of this tremendous issue I 
do, indeed, persuade myself that the danger is greatly 
diminished, by such a course of instruction as you have 
received. Yet the apprJling event contemplated is 
possible, and therefore " as my beloved sons, I want 
you." — Yes, there have been instances of those as highly 
favoured, and apparently as well principled as yon 
are, who, through the deceitfulness of sin, have been 
brought, eventually " to deny the Lord that bought 
them*" It is the expression of the kindest regard, 
when I devoutly pray, that you may rather die in the 
morning of life, than live to be added to the number of 
these dreadful examples of apostacy from truth, and 
hope, and salvation. 

Some of you I know— and I rejoice exceedingly to 
know it — are looking forward to the gospel ministry, as 
your calling for life. In such, the importance of the 
union of piety and science is generally admitted. To 
this I not only accede, but desire to remind every can- 
didate for the sacred office in this class, that certainly 
till the wane of life, if not till the end of it, he ought to 
feel that it is not a mere matter of choice and inclination, 
but a binding christian and ministerial duty, to be con- 



24 DISCOURSE I. 

stantly augmenting his fund of knowledge : — constantly 
extending his acquaintance with every subject that, 
either directly or collaterally, will add to his ministerial 
furniture. 

Let him by all means cultivate piety. Let him re- 
gard this as primary and essential. Let him know and 
remember that a fervent piety is that alone which can 
render him either safe, or comfortable, or probably 
useful, in the ministerial vocation. But let him also 
consider it as a part of his duty to God, to increase his 
knowledge— to increase it as much as his circumstances, 
in the use of constant vigilance and industry, will permit. 

But I particularly deprecate the influence of a notion 
— too prevalent I fear — that it belongs to candidates for 
the gospel ministry alone, to cultivate piety and science, 
in union. Consider what you have heard — that this 
union may sometimes be even more useful in the laity, 
than in the clergy. I therefore entreat those of you 
who are destined to secular employments, to take 
your full share of this address and charge. Forget not, 
I beseech you, that the care of the soul is the " one 
thing needful,*' to laymen as well as to clergymen. True 
religion is necessary, not merely to increase your present 
happiness and usefulness : it is, remember, essential 
to your future and eternal welfare. « Except a man be 
born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."' Be not 
satisfied therefore with an amiable and blameless exte- 
rior. Be satisfied with nothing short of a renewed 
heart, a vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ, and a 



DISCOURSE I. 25 

life of holy obedience to all the commandments of God. 
In regard to the cultivation of your minds, I must 
repeat what I have said to candidates for the holy min- 
istry — Consider yourselves as sacredly bound to im- 
prove in useful knowledge. Seek and embrace every 
opportunity or advantage for making improvement. 
Accustom yourselves from the very first to diligence, 
method and regularity, in your literary pursuits. Con- 
tinue, without any interruption, the habits of study 
acquired in this place. Cultivate continually a sense 
of obligation to direct and consecrate all your knowl- 
edge and attainments to some useful end. Cherish a 
strong desire, and be incessant in your endeavours, to do 
good. Never suifer you acquisitions of knowledge, or 
your capacity of usefulness, to remain unemployed. 
Produce them to the world, and be emulous to take a 
part — a leading part, if you are called to it— in every 
liberal, every virtuous, every benevolent, every pious 
enterprise. 

It will be advantageous to you all, whatever be your 
destination in life, to measure and ascertain, as well as 
you can, your own capacities. Be not too aspiring ; but 
yet aim high. Let your motive in this be to do good, 
rather than to seek applause. I warn you seriously against 
an undue seeking of popularity. It is an unsatisfying, vain 
and dangerous pursuit. Let the approbation of God and 
of your own consciences, be supremely regarded. With 
this may lawfully be connected a moderate desire to secure 

the favourable opinion of the wise and the good. Under 

E 



26 DISCOURSE L 

the influence and guidance of these principles, let pop- 
ularity attach to you as much, or as little as it will, 
without courting it Strive to be useful, and you will 
certainly have influence. And let influence, when ac- 
quired, be considered as a talent, for which your are 
highly responsible ; — as a talent which you are to man- 
age so as to effect the greatest good to which it is com- 
petent. In the circle of your influence be very active. 
In that circle let every plan to promote learning and 
the arts, every attempt at useful improvements of what- 
ever kind, every scheme of benevolence, every institu- 
tion of piety, have your cordial support. Wherever 
you shall permanently reside, consider yourselves as spe- 
cially charged to see that there the gospel be preached, 
and its ordinances administered, if this can be effected 
by your utmost efforts. 

But be not content with local and narrow views of 
usefulness. Enlarge the sphere of your benevolent 
vision, beyond the little circle around you. Look 
to the great plans that are carrying on for the 
good of mankind at large. Not only wish them well, 
but help them forward. We live in an age of great 
events, and of great expectations. Scripture prophecy 
is fulfilling, and about, probably, to be more illustriously 
fulfilled. Cherish a sacred emulation to be instrument- 
al in promoting the cause of God ; and to have a share 
in the work and the reward of those, who are the hon- 
oured agents in his hand of executing his merciful pur- 
poses, and of advancing his kingdom and glory in the 
world. 



DISCOURSE I. 2? 

With these counsels and injunctions, my last address 
to you must be closed. I affectionately and solemnly com- 
mit you to God ; to the care of his providence ; to the 
influence of his grace ; praying that you may be conduct- 
ed safely through all the perils and vicissitudes of life ; 
and that we may have a happy meeting in the mansions 
of unfading bliss. Amen. 



DISCOURSE II. 



GOD ACKNOWLEDGED DIRECTING THE PATH OF DUTY, 
PROV T III. 6. 

" In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct 
thy pathsP 

JL HE proverbs of Solomon are, in most instances, un- 
connected maxims of wisdom, prudence or piety. The 
text, however, is manifestly connected with the verse 
which precedes it ; so that the two verses are to be con- 
sidered either as containing two proverbs closely related, 
or else two parts of the same proverb ; of which the 
latter is an explanation and application of the former. 
The passage, in its connexion, stands thus — " Trust in 
the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine 
own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, 
and he shall direct thy paths." The spirit of this in- 
junction is, that we should rely on the guidance and 
direction of God, and not upon our own understanding, 
or sagacity, in choosing our course in life, and in dis- 
charging its duties. 

" In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall di- 
rect thy paths." We have here, I. A duty prescribed. 
II. A promise made to the performance of that duty. 
Let us consider each of these distinctly, and then briefly 
apply the subject, 



30 DISCOURSE II. 

I. In the text there is a duty prescribed — "In all thy 
ways acknowledge him." 

We shall, I apprehend, most fully and advantageously 
explain and exhibit the meaning of the inspired writer 
in these words, by taking three views of the precept 
which they contain— By considering 

In the first place, What it is to acknowledge God, in 
the sense of this precept, in the ordinary course and 
concerns of life. 

Secondly, Wherein the duty consists, when we are 
entering on an extraordinary undertaking, or important 
enterprise, in which it is plainly lawful for us to engage. 

Thirdly, How our duty may be ascertained when we 
are doubtful, or greatly at a loss about it-^-and the 
matter in question is, notwithstanding, highly important 
to our future welfare. 

None of these views is uninteresting, and each ot 
them might, perhaps, profitably occupy the time of a 
whole discourse. The two former, however, I shall 
treat generally and cursorily, intending to spend a little 
more time in discussing the third ; because it is that 
in which direction is most necessary, and that, also, 
to which I think the text most directly points. 

First then, if we would acknowledge God, in the or- 
dinary course and concerns of life, we must have a set- 
tled and lively sense of our dependance on him for his 
blessing, in all our affairs and interests, both temporal 
and spiritual. This duty necessarily supposes that the 
mind of him who is to perform it is under the influence 



DISCOURSE XL 31 

of pious principles. He who has no feeling of these, 
will never, in the spirit of the text, acknowledge God 
in all, nor in any of his ways* Whoever has not a firm 
and practical belief that a divine providence governs 
and guides the concerns of men, and that it extends to 
the circumstances of each individual, as well as to the 
destinies of communities, will, of course, never commit 
the lot of life to God to be mercifully ordered by him. 
This, from the nature of the case, can be done only by 
one who truly believes, according to the doctrine of 
our Saviour, that "a sparrow falleth not to the ground 
without our heavenly Father, and that the hairs of our 
heads are all mimhered ?'■ implying that the providence 
of the Creator extends to the most minute, incidents 
which relate to his creatures. 

He who acknowledges God, so as to fulfil the injunc- 
tion of the text, must especially be sensible that the 
divine favour and blessing are, in the strictest sense, 
essential to his happiness. The favour and blessing of 
his Maker, therefore, he will be most solicitous to 
obtain. And knowing that God will never make his 
enemies happy, reconciliation with him, in the way 
of his own appointment, and the uninterrupted continu- 
ance of his friendship, will be sought with the greatest 
earnestness, and maintained with unceasing vigilance. 
In a word, the man we contemplate must feel and act 
under the conviction that if he possess the favour and 
loving kindness of God his Maker, he will certainly, let 



32 DISCOURSE II. 

his outward circumstances be what they may, have the 
best and most desirable portion. 

A system of conduct founded on this conviction, will, 
doubtless, always require that the whole of human ex- 
istence be taken into view. Not merely that small and 
inconsiderable part which lies on this side the grave ; 
but that also which lies beyond it, and is of infinite 
duration. To desire to be happy in time, in such man- 
ner as to be unhappy through eternity, is nothing less 
than the madness of folly. All suffering and disap- 
pointment, therefore, in this world, which an infinitely 
wise and good Being may see to be necessary to pro- 
mote or insure felicity in the world to come, will be de- 
liberately chosen by every man who acts with true ra- 
tionality. The man who really acknowledges God will be 
careful to act in this manner. He will desire that measure, 
and that only, of worldly good, which infinite wisdom 
may see to be most advantageous to him as an immortal 
being ; and fully sensible that all things are ordered 
by God, he will desire and pray that they may be so 
ordered as that they may all conspire and work together 
in subserviency to the divine glory, for his own ultimate 
and highest happiness. 

In all the occurrences of life he will eye the hand of 
his heavenly Father, and receive both prosperity and 
adversity as coming from it. He will perceive that 
every effort of his, will be successful or abortive, just 
as the Supreme Disposer of all events shall please to 
order. He will therefore, every day of his life, de- 



DISCOURSE II. 33 

voutly ask to be directed by God in the path of duty ; 
and he will cherish the habitual recollection that in all 
he does, or attempts, or contrives, it will still remain 
with Him, u who doth according to his will in the army 
of Heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth," to 
succeed or disappoint him, and to render success or 
disappointment a blessing or a curse — " The heart of 
man deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps." 

Secondly. When he who acknowledges God in all 
his ways is about to enter on an extraordinary under- 
taking, or important enterprise, in which it is plainly 
lawful to engage, you will perceive, from what has 
already been said, that he will be exceedingly desirous 
to secure the divine smiles and patronage. Feeling 
that on these he absolutely depends, and perceiving 
that the concern is deeply to affect his future welfare, 
he will now desire and supplicate the direction, aid 
and blessing of God, with peculiar earnestness and 
solicitude. 

Johnson, in his life of Milton, quotes from a publica- 
tion of that great poet, the following sentences, written 
before he had planned the poem of Paradise Lost, 
but after he had resolved to undertake something that 
might be of use and honor to his country. In thinking 
of the necessary preparation for such an undertaking, 
Milton says, " This is not to be obtained but by devout 
« prayer to that Eternal Spirit that can enrich with all 
* ( utterance and knowledge, and sends out his seraphim 

< with the hallowed fire of his altar, to touch and purify 

F 



34 DISCOURSE II. 

" the lips of whom he pleases. To this must be added 
« industrious and select reading, steady observation, 
"and insight into all seemly and generous arts and 
" affairs, till which in some measure be compast, I re- 
"fuse not to sustain this expectation." Johnson adds — 
u From a promise like this, at once fervid, pious, and 
" rational, might be expected the Paradise Lost." The 
biographer of Johnson himself informs us, that he, in 
like manner, entered on the execution of his far-famed 
work, entitled " The Rambler," with exercises of spe- 
cial prayer, and a sense of his dependance on God for 
success, similar to those which he records of Milton. 

Surely the witlings of infidelity have reason to blush, 
when they attempt to deride, as the weakness of enthu- 
siasm, those devotional exercises which have been consid- 
ered as essential to success, by the greatest examples of 
human intellect which the world has seen. Exercises, 
too, which have been deemed equally important, and as 
such have been employed, by some of the most renown- 
ed and successful military and naval commanders, whose 
heroism and glory have commanded the admiration and 
envy of the world. Yes, brethren — he who would 
acknowledge God in all his ways, must especially ac- 
knowledge him in those important occurrences and en- 
terprises of life, on which its whole complexion must de- 
pend, and by which its fortunes must be decided. Then 
the mind is to be charged to be peculiarly sensible that 
success must come from God ; — that the Most High is 
then holding the destiny of his dependant creature in 



DISCOURSE II. 35 

his hand, and is to be humbly and fervently implored 
to order and decide it in his mercy. But I hasten to 
eonsider — 

Thirdly — How our duty may be ascertained when 
we are doubtful, or greatly at a loss about it ; — and the 
matter in question is, notwithstanding, highly important 
to our future welfare. 

First of all, let the party whose case we here consider, 
use special and fervent prayer. Let him, in all his 
prayers, ask counsel, in regard to the doubt which is to 
be resolved. Let him also set apart some season for 
special prayer in regard to the urgent concern ; and if 
practicable let him join fasting with prayer. In prayer 
let him particularly desire and ask, that his mind may 
be rendered thoroughly honest and candid ; that it may 
in no degree be biassed by passion or inclination ; but 
be made willing to know and practice duty, although it 
should consist in severe self-denial. As an encourage- 
ment to pray for light and direction, let him recollect 
and plead the gracious declaration — u If any of you 
lack wisdom let him ask of God, that giveth to all men 
liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." 
The wisdom here promised is imparted " from the Fa- 
ther of lights," by his word, by his providence, and by 
his Spirit, to the humble and believing suppliant. From 
these sources, therefore, he who has prayed in faith for 
direction in duty, may expect to receive the guidance he 
has sought — And hence 



36 DISCOURSE II, 

2. It will be incumbent on him carefully and diligent- 
ly to consult " the scriptures of truth." There let him 
faithfully search for a case similar or analagous to his own. 
If not successful in such a search, let him impartially con- 
sider the scope and spirit of those doctrines and princi- 
ples which have a bearing on his case ; from which he 
can scarcely fail to derive some important aid. In this 
manner let him try to make the oracles of God " the 
man of his counsel." 

3. Let him also carefully observe the aspect of prov- 
idence. Having prayed that providence may be his 
guide, let him see if it do not offer some plain indica- 
tions by which his duty may be gathered. These indi- 
cations, however, it should ever be remembered, are to 
be considered with great coolness and deliberation ; 
and that a suitable jealousy is to be exercised lest fancy 
should mould them to the wishes or inclination of the 
party whose interest is at stake. 

4. The opinion of judicious friends should be taken. 
And that the inquirer may get a candid opinion, it will 
be well, if concealment be fairly practicable, not to let 
it be known that the case he proposes relates to him- 
self. Or if this, as will often happen, cannot be done, 
let him be at pains to make those whom he consults 
believe that he honestly desires to know his duty, and 
will feel deeply indebted to the friends who shall advise 
him faithfully and discreetly. 

It is still better to consult books than men. If it can 
he found that the case in question has been discussed and 



DISCOURSE IX. 37 

decided by a judicious writer, it will be known that the 
opinion given, in addition to other considerations, has not 
been influenced by any regard to the party whom it 
now concerns. When opinions have thus been obtained, 
they are to be carefully weighed and duly regarded. 
Yet, as every man is to answer for himself, so he ought 
to remember that he is bound to judge for himself— 
Therefore, 

5. Let him ponder his own case much in his own 
mind. No one, probably, will be brought to take as 
much interest in it as he takes himself ; and no one can 
know what he is, and for what he is qualified, as well 
as, with due care and attention, he may know himself. 
In making up his mind let him not be hasty ; and yet 
let him have it constantly in view to be entirely decided 
and satisfied at last; for few things are more painful 
than a dubious and unsettled state of mind in regard to 
an important point of duty. To prevent this it will be 
useful to forecast, as far as possible, all the consequen- 
ces of both sides of the alternative to be decided on ; — 
what is likely to ensue on the supposition that he takes 
this course or that ; that he consents or refuses ; that 
he acts or resolves not to act. It may sometimes be 
advisable to write down all the considerations which 
occur, and which ought to have influence on each side of 
the question ; that being fully drawn out and seen at one 
view, they may be weighed and considered with the 
greatest advantage. In all dubious matters it is a good 
rule to go much, if we can, on the plan of doing thaj; 



38 DISCOURSE II. 

which is safe, that which is clearly lawful. There may, 
indeed, be an extreme and superstitious scrupulosity. 
But if it be clearly lawful to act in one way, and quite 
questionable whether it be so to act in another, we 
ought always to take the path which is not doubtful. 

It is, my brethren, by a sound and discreet use of 
the directions now given — by seeking counsel and di- 
rection of God in frequent and earnest prayer — by 
making his word the man of our counsel — by observing 
the indications of the divine providence — by consulting 
men and books — and by carefully deliberating on 
all circumstances with ourselves — that we are to ac- 
knowledge God, and endeavour to ascertain our duty 
when we are doubtful about it, and the matter in 
question is, notwithstanding, highly important to our 
future welfare. It is, you will carefully observe, by 
acting in this manner that we recognize our entire de- 
pendance on our Maker, and at the same time make use 
of our own powers and endeavours, as rational and ac- 
countable creatures. And these two things are always 
to be joined together : for he who professes to depend 
on God, without using his own reason and efforts, and 
he who actually relies on his own reason and efforts, 
without feeling his dependence on God, are both 
chargeable with gross presumption. The one tempts 
his Maker, and the other idolizes himself. The man 
who truly acknowledges God in all his ways will care- 
fully and constantly unite the two duties, of cherishing 
a sense of his absolute dependance on the assistance 



DISCOURSE II. 39 

and blessing of the Most High, and of using his own 
best exertions to ascertain and perform his duty. And 
then — 

II. He may stedfastly rely on the fulfilment of the 
promise, that " the Lord will direct his steps." 

In looking for the accomplishment of this promise, how- 
ever, let us, my brethren, beware of expecting to receive it 
by any sudden, or irresistible impulse of the mind. Let us 
be cautious how we even desire that our duty should be 
intimated in this manner. Such an intimation, if it be 
ever given, must be considered as an extraordinary 
dispensation, which must be left entirely to the sove- 
reignty of Him who awards it. We have no claim to 
calculate on any unusual aid or interposition of the 
Deity. But in an humble reliance on the divine assur- 
ance given in the text, we may hope and expect that, 
while we are careful, and diligent, and persevering in 
the use of the means that have been specified, God 
will direct our minds, in the exercise of sound reason 
and discretion, of an enlightened conscience and gen- 
uine pious sentiment, to make a right choice, or to form 
a correct decision, in regard to a doubtful and impor- 
tant point of duty. 

Sometimes we may have no inconsiderable difficulty 
in coming to a determination on a question in which 
our dearest interests appear to be involved ; and, even at 
the last, we may not have the perfect clearness which 
we could wish. But when we have faithfully used the 
means which have been mentioned, and taken the course 



40 DISCOURSE II. 

which on the whole appeared to be right, we are war- 
ranted to believe, and ought to believe, that the Lord 
has directed our path. The promise was predicated 
on the performance of a duty, namely, the acknowledg- 
ing of God. The duty, by the supposition, has been 
performed. The promise then became absolute ; and 
to believe in its accomplishment is not only lawful but 
obligatory. 

Nor is the humble believer, in applying this truth, 
to indulge distrust, on account of the imperfection which 
may have attended the performance of his duty in the 
case contemplated ; if, on a careful review, that imper- 
fection shall appear not to have been peculiar. He 
who made the promise knew that the duty with which 
it is connected would, in every instance, be imperfectly 
performed. This, and all the other promises of the 
divine word, we are to remember, are fulfilled to believ- 
ers who act imperfectly, but yet sincerely, for the sake 
of the perfect righteousness, and through the prevalent 
mediation, of Christ their Redeemer. If, indeed, it be 
clearly evident, that we have not performed the duty 
required, with some good degree of care, and serious- 
ness, and impartiality, and earnest desire to know the 
way in which we ought to walk — for these are the in- 
gredients which constitute sincerity — then, certainly, 
we have no right to apply the promise to ourselves. 
But if these evidences of sincerity have not been want- 
ing, although a lamentable imperfection may have 



DISCOURSE II. 41 

attended them all, we may confidently expect, and shall 
qertainly find, that the Lord will do as he hath said — 
he will direct our paths. 

In every age, brethren, the truth of the promise we 
here consider, as it relates not only to doubtful points 
of duty, but also to the general course of life, and to 
great and difficult undertakings where duty was obvi- 
ous, has been remarkably experienced. History both 
sacred and profane, abounds with examples of the ful- 
filment of this promise. These examples have been 
confined to no class or order of men ; but they have, of 
course, been most striking in those who have been the 
greatest benefactors of mankind, and whose memory is 
the most precious. Their high and distinguished hon- 
our and usefulness have unquestionably been attributa- 
ble — and such has been their own judgment — to the 
signal blessing of the God of providence on measures 
and efforts, for direction and assistance in which they 
constantly looked and prayed. Yes ; they sensibly 
felt their dependence on God and continually acknowl- 
edged it ; they sought and obtained his guidance and 
benediction ; and when success, often beyond their 
most sanguine hopes, crowned their labours, they as- 
cribed the praise of all, not to themselves, but to God 
alone. 

Here, however, an inquiry of some importance de- 
mands attention. Good men, it must be admitted, have 
not always been successful, either in their endeavours 

to benefit others, or to provide for themselves. If 

O 



42 DISCOURSE II. 

then the promise we consider be invariably fulfilled, 
how, in may be asked, is it fulfilled to them ? I answer 
— good men themselves may not always comply with the 
condition of the promise, and for this reason may not 
experience its accomplishment. Men truly good, in 
their general character, are sometimes greatly deficient 
in the discharge of particular duties. And in such 
cases the neglect of duty may be visited with divine 
chastisements, in such manner that the offence may be 
seen in the punishment. Who that reads attentively 
the history of David, but must remark with pain, that 
the neglect of parental duty was, by the righteous per- 
mission of God, fearfully punished by filial ingratitude 
and domestic distress ? In like manner, there may be 
good men — and indeed, brethren, I fear their num- 
ber is not small — who are lamentably deficient in the 
duty of acknowledging God. Good men, indeed, 
they could not be, if they did not feel and confess, and 
with some sensibility and constancy too, their entire 
dependence on God for all that they possess, and all 
that they expect. Still, they may be chargeable with 
great and very criminal neglect. They neglect, per- 
haps, that part of the general duty which consists in a 
daily and earnest looking to God to prosper their under- 
takings, and to bless all the labours of their hands. Or 
they make material changes in their affairs, or enter 
on important enterprises, without any special acknowl- 
edgement of God at all. Or they are not sensible, in 
the degree that they ought to be, of their need of divine 



DISCOURSE II. 43 

direction. Or they do not unite care, caution and in- 
dustry — the vigorous use of their own powers and 
efforts — with the other part of the duty. That by pal- 
pable and gross deficiency in some one, or in several, 
of these particulars, good men sometimes fail in per- 
forming the condition specified in the text, and so lose 
the benefit of the promise which it contains, is not to be 
doubted. Far be it from us, indeed, rashly to judge 
our brethren in particular instances, and to say, when 
we see an individual unsuccessful in life, that his dis- 
appointments or losses are the punishment of his ne- 
glecting to acknowledge God. This is contrary to the 
whole tenor of scripture doctrine, and the spirit of chris- 
tian charity ; and it will presently appear that our sub- 
ject itself forbids such a conclusion. But although it 
is not for us, who know neither the hearts nor the exer- 
cises of individuals, hastily to mark them as transgres- 
sors, yet it is not only a doctrinal truth warranted by 
scripture, but one of great practical importance, which 
ought to be imprinted on our minds for admonition and 
warning, that good men may sorely experience the 
frowns of providence in their worldly concerns, be- 
cause they do not suitably acknowledge God. Nay, 
the pious are the very persons who have most reason 
to expect this dispensation. The ungodly may " pros- 
per in the world and increase in riches/' and thus fill 
up the measure of their iniquity, and receive the more 
aggravated condemnation in the world to come. But 
the Father of mercies chastens his own children in this 



44 DISCOURSE II. 

life, that he may bring them to repentance, reclaim 
them from their wanderings, and thus prepare them for 
" the inheritance of the saints in light." 

It now only remains to admit, in the most explicit 
manner, that there may be cases where worldly success 
or prosperity may not be the allotment of those who 
are chargeable with no special neglect of the duty pre- 
scribed in the text. How, it will be demanded, is the 
promise fulfilled to these ? The answer is easy to him 
who has faith in God, and knowledge of his holy word. 
That word will teach us that nothing can be further 
from the truth than to believe, that the worldly prosper- 
ity which we are prone to desire, and especially that 
measure of it which we often covet, would be a real 
favour if it were bestowed. Here, then, is the solution 
of the apparent difficulty. In all cases where men 
have truly and suitably acknowledged God, and yet 
have not obtained what they have sought, their Heav- 
enly Father has seen that it w T ould not be good for 
them to obtain it. He has seen that disappointment 
would be better for them than success, and therefore, 
in very faithfulness he has disappointed them. He 
gives to all his people, who duly acknowledge him, 
as much prosperity as they can bear : as much as they 
themselves would wish, if every thing was as open 
to their view as it is to his. To these, therefore, 
his promise is as really and as kindly fulfilled as it is 
to those who arc not disappointed — as it is to the most 
prosperous. They have actually had all the success 



DISCOURSE II. 45 

which, taking their whole existence into view, an omni- 
scient and covenant-keeping God saw to be best for them. 
To desire more, or other than this, would be the ex- 
treme both of folly and impiety. 

It is not a christian but an infidel opinion, that men 
cannot be favoured without a large measure of worldly 
prosperity. The christian doctrine, taught too by some 
of the best heathen moralists, is, that the Deity not only 
may, but often in fact does, curse with prosperity, and 
bless with adversity. Those who are ultimately the 
most prospered and honoured, even in this world, are 
frequently prepared for it, by a most painful training 
in the school of adversity. It was so with Moses, with 
Job, with Joseph, with Jeptha, with David ; and with 
hundreds of others in every age of the world. Men, 
indeed, are seldom qualified either for very eminent 
usefulness, or for the best enjoyment of prosperity, till 
they have learned humility and self command, from 
affliction and disappointment ; and fortitude, activity and 
perseverance, from contending with enemies and ad- 
verse events. A man, therefore, is not hastily to con- 
elude that he will never be prosperous, because pros- 
perity has long been denied him. The way may only 
be preparing to render him far more happy and honour- 
able, even in this life, than he could have been if he had 
never seen adversity. But however this may be, if we 
faithfully acknowledge God in all our ways, he will in- 
variably so direct our paths as shall be most for our 
benefit on the whole. For u we know that all things 



46 DISCOURSE II. 

work together for good to them that love God, to them 
who are the called according to his purpose — For our 
light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for 
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ; 
while we look not at the things which are seen, but at 
the things which are not seen : for the things which are 
seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen 
are eternal — For all things are yours : Whether Paul, 
or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, 
or things present, or things to come ; all are yours 5 
and ye are Christ's ; and Christ is God's." 

It now remains to make a practical application of the 
. subject. And — 

1. It is obvious to remark, after what has been said, 
that a large proportion of nominal christians, live hab- 
itually in the neglect, or violation, of one of the plainest 
dictates of the religion in which they have been educa- 
ted. So far are they from acknowledging God in all 
their ways, that they acknowledge him in none of their 
ways. Instead of looking to him to direct their paths, 
they never think of divine direction, and look only to 
themselves. The particular providence of God, than 
which our Saviour himself taught no doctrine more 
plainly, these persons, who call themselves christians, 
overlook, deny, or ridicule. The duty of prayer, as 
grounded on that doctrine, they, of course, never per- 
form, or attempt. " God is not in all their thoughts." 
They think not of Him, either as their future judge and 
reward er, or as their present benefactor and protector. 



DISCOURSE II. 47 

Such men are unhappy examples of the justice of the 
remark, that the professors of all false religions, act up- 
on their avowed principles with far greater consistency 
and exactness, than many professors of the true religion 
act upon theirs. It is, indeed, melancholy to think, 
how many there are, under the light of the gospel, 
whom our text and subject most pointedly reprove; 
who have even less sense of their dependence on God, 
than Heathen and Mahometans ; who never yet seri- 
ously asked counsel of God, or sought his aid and bles- 
sing, in any of their concerns. If I speak in the hearing 
of any of this character, let them be entreated, by every 
consideration both of duty and interest, to turn from a 
course of such dreadful impiety and danger. Hence I 
remark — 

2. That those who have not succeeded in their en- 
terprizes in life, should be led by this subject to inquire, 
whether they may not have failed because they did not 
acknowledge God in all their ways. Although it be 
unquestionable that what is called worldly prosperity, 
is not invariably the allotment of the pious, still it is 
also true, as we have seen, that it may be denied to 
others because they have never suitably sought the 
divine blessing on their undertakings and endeavours. 
He whose memory and conscience can inform him, that 
his plans and efforts to acquire worldly wealth, or 
influence, have not been formed with a suitable sense 
of his dependence on God for success, and with frequent 
prayer for the divine blessing on them, has no reason to 



48 DISCOURSE II. 

wonder if they have all been blasted and proved abor- 
tive ; though lawful in themselves, and though prose- 
cuted with diligence and discretion. Persons of this 
description should be apprised that their best interests, 
their eternal well being, may require that disappoint- 
ment should continue, till it shall lead them to the God 
whom they have forgotten. When this shall be effect- 
ed, and their future and everlasting felicity be secured, 
a merciful God may see meet to change his dealings 
with them, and to allow them a larger portion than 
they have yet enjoyed of temporal prosperity. Every 
consideration, therefore, of what they owe to their 
Maker and to themselves, urges them to unfeigned re- 
pentance for their past delinquency, and to an immedi- 
ate and cordial performance of the duty they have so 
long neglected. 

But I feel constrained to say farther, that I am verily 
persuaded there is scarcely any duty which is more im- 
perfectly performed, even by real christians, than that 
which I now inculcate. Alas ! how few are they who 
daily live with a proper regard to the all-seeing and all- 
disposing God ! who feelingly recognize their need of 
his counsel and superintending care, in all they do or 
attempt ; in lying down and rising up ; in going out 
and coming in ; in every situation, or company in which 
they may be found. It is no violation of truth or char- 
ity, though is seems a paradox in religion, to say that 
there is much forgetfulness of God, much implicit denial 
of his presence, providence, power, and faithfulness — 



DISCOURSE II. 49 

in a word, much practical atheism, even among those 
who are not wholly destitute of real piety. Truly, 
in this view of the subject, the most of us have need to 
be deeply abased, and henceforth to endeavour to act 
more as becomes the christian profession, more as " see- 
ing Him who is invisible-— and in whom we live and 
move and have our being." 

3. The subject ought greatly to alarm those who 
have been prosperous in the world, without acknowl- 
edging God. Men are sometimes seen who lite- 
rally and habitually " forget God," violate his laws, 
despise his institutions, and blaspheme his holy name ; 
who, notwithstanding, acquire wealth, rise to honour, 
or obtain fame and distinction. Sometimes they are 
even hardened in their impiety, by their success. They 
consider and proclaim it as a proof, that the declara- 
tions and demands of religion are false and vain. Their 
apparent happiness, also, sometimes operates as a griev- 
ous discouragement and temptation to the godly ; es- 
pecially in a season of great adversity or affliction. 
Such we know was the case of Asaph, recorded in the 
seventy-third Psalm ; and similar cases have doubtless 
occurred in every subsequent age. But the solution of 
the difficulty which Asaph obtained, is that which, at 
all times, should satisfy the pious : and at all times it 
should likewise alarm — if indeed any thing can alarm — 
these proud and hardened abusers of the goodness and 
grace of God. Hear their fearful destiny announced 

by the holy man whose " feet were almost gone, whose 

H 



50 DISCOURSE II. 

steps had well nigh slipped," because he was " envious 
at the foolish when he saw the prosperity of the wick- 
ed." " I went," says he, u into the sanctuary of God ; 
then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set 
them in slippery places ; thou castedst them down into 
destruction. How are they brought into desolation as 
in a moment ! they are utterly consumed with terrors. 
As a dream when one awaketh ; so, O Lord, when thou 
awakest, thou shalt despise their image." Yes, breth- 
ren, we have only to think on the end of such men, and 
they will no longer be regarded with envy, but with 
horror. The eminence from which they fall will only 
serve to plunge them the deeper into perdition. The 
God of providence, by permitting these abandoned men 
to acquire wealth, or power, or fame, has shown con- 
spicuously of how little estimation are those things in 
his sight.* Yet, as all worldly distinctions are his gifts, 
and ought to be employed in his service and to his 
glory, the abuse of them to his dishonour, will awfully 
aggravate the final condemnation of their abusers. Un- 
less the deepest repentance, and an earnest application to 
the all atoning blood of Christ prevent, they will eternal- 
ly wish that the most abject state of poverty and contempt 
had been their lot in life ; rather than that they should 
have gone to the place of torment, chargeable with 
insulting their Maker by means oi his own bounty, with 
resisting his proffered mercy, and with injuring others 
while they ruined their own souls. 

♦ See note E at the end of the volume. 



DISCOURSE IL 51 

4. They, on the contrary, who have acknowledged 
God in all their ways, and yet have not enjoyed wealth, 
or honour, or power ; hut have seen much affliction, or 
poverty, or disappointment, may learn from this sub- 
ject, and especially in contrast with that view of it 
which we have just taken, that they have no reason to 
he discontented. They may see that the statement, in 
the doctrinal part of this discourse, that the promise 
of God to them has not failed, was made on good grounds 
— that He is not dealing with them in his displeasure, 
hut in covenant faithfulness. In some instances, as we 
have remarked, the existing adversity may be intended 
only to prepare the way for the safe and more perfect 
enjoyment of prosperity in this life. But in cases where 
this is not, and cannot be realized, still the adversity 
experienced shall assuredly be blest ; so blest, that in 
a future and better world, every glorified child of sor- 
row, shall thank God for every disappointment, and 
every pain that was here endured ; because it will then 
be found that it has enhanced the ineffable and eternal 
bliss of heaven. To every suffering saint, therefore, it 
belongs to join in the triumphant language of the Psalm- 
ist, connected with the doom of the ungodly, already 
recited — & Nevertheless, I am continually with thee; 
thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt 
guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me 
to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there 
is none on earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh 
and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my 
heart and my portion forever." 



52 DISCOURSE II. 

5. Finally; I wish, for a few moments, to apply 
this subject to those youth of my particular charge, 
who are about to leave the place of their education ; 
and to the most of whom I shall probably never have 
another opportunity to speak publickly on the subjects 
of religion and morals. 

My young friends ! 

I have already directed your attention, as you know, 
to a system of advices adapted to the peculiar circum- 
stances in which you now stand, by a man eminently 
qualified to give counsel to the young. * These advi- 
ces you have carefully treasured in your memories, 
that they may be ready for use, as circumstances may 
demand, through the whole of your future lives. After 
taking care that this should be accomplished, my chief 
remaining concern was, to present to you on this inter- 
esting occasion, some one great and comprehensive 
truth, easily understood, and not easily forgotten, which 
should, by itself, embody every particular advice. 
And such a truth, precisely, I am well persuaded, is 
that which our text contains — (i In all your ways ac- 
knowledge God, and He shall direct your paths. " Re- 
gard this sacred maxim, in the manner that has been 
recommended, and all will be well. It will guide you in 
safety through this world, and conduct you with cer- 
tainty to a better. To this, therefore, at parting from 
you, I earnestly and tenderly exhort you. If any of 
you have hitherto neglected the duty, begin its per- 

* See note F at the end of the volume- 



DISCOURSE II. 53 

formance immediately, and continue in it while you 
live. Keep it always in mind, that you must obtain the 
divine direction and blessing, if ever you are truly 
happy, prosperous or honourable ; and ask, therefore, 
for these inestimable favours, in daily and fervent 
prayer. 

Bear with me — for I am anxious for your happiness 
— while I press upon you, a little farther, some of the 
leading ideas already suggested as general truths, — 
When you are about to enter on any undertaking or 
enterprise, which will deeply affect your character, 
happiness or usefulness, then let your sense of depend- 
ance be peculiarly awake and active; and in special 
exercises of devotion look to God for his omnipotent 
assistance, protection and blessing. Whenever you 
are at a loss in regard to any important point of duty, 
endeavour to ascertain it by using the means which 
you have heard detailed in this discourse. In this 
manner make up your minds decisively and firmly ; and 
then go forward with cheerfulness and determined res- 
olution ; — believing that having acknowledged God, 
according to his commandment, he is directing, and will 
continue to direct, your paths. 

With some of you, probably, the choice of a profession 
for life, will not be a matter of much difficulty. It has, 
perhaps, already been made by your parents, or fixed 
by your own inclination and deliberate preference. If 
so, it may not be necessary to question farther its suit- 
ableness for you ; since the supposition is, that it is 



54 DISCOURSE IL 

lawful in itself. But with others, the choice of a pro- 
fession may be a subject of great difficulty and peculiar 
embarrassment. To such I have to say, that theirs 
Is one of the cases, to which the directions I have given 
for determining the matter of duty, when it is both 
doubtful and important, is peculiarly applicable. Let 
them faithfully pursue the method that has been point- 
ed out, and their choice will ultimately be right, and 
their decision satisfactory. And I earnestly exhort 
all of you, without exception, to enter on your profes- 
sional pursuits with a distinct and devout recognition 
of the providence and grace of God, as the sources 
from which you are to derive direction, assistance and 
success, 

When a class of youth who have passed through 
a course of liberal studies, are leaving the place of their 
education, it is a most interesting thought that we prob- 
ably see in them, a number of those who are, hereaf- 
ter, to have great influence on society, both in pri- 
vate and in publick life. Such, my beloved pupils, I 
hope and trust is your destination. And in the pros- 
pect of it, I now solemnly counsel and charge you, to 
use all the influence which you shall ever possess, in 
favour of knowledge, virtue and piety :•— particularly, 
that by your example, as well as by your words, you en- 
deavour to engage others to acknowledge God. The 
neglect of this duty by communities, both small and 
great, as well as by individuals, is often followed by 
the manifest frowns of Heaven. Families, colleges, leg- 



DISCOURSE II. 55 

islative bodies, fleets, armies and nations-— the sneer of 
the infidel notwithstanding — have all furnished exam- 
ples of this important and awful truth. Let the whole 
weight of your character and influence, therefore, in all 
your intercourse with the world, be employed to lead 
men to the due and rational acknowledgment of God. 
In this way you may perform a service incalculably 
beneficial to mankind — to the interests of good morals, 
of social happiness and of genuine piety. 

This, then, is my last counsel. With this I leave 
you in the hands of our common God and Father ; most 
devoutly praying that his providence may shield you, 
and his grace and favour accompany you, through the 
whole journey of life ; and that I may meet you all 
" with joy and not with grief," at that dread tribunal 
before which we are soon to appear* Amen, 



N 



DISCOURSE III 



THE GOOD MAN'S PROTECTION AND SUPPORT, 



I. PETER III. 13, 14. 

u And who is he that will harm you f if ye be followers of 
that which is good ? But and if ye suffer for righ- 
teousness 9 sake, happy are yeP 

XN the context the Apostle Peter delineates and 
enjoins the virtues of the christian life. To enforce 
what he says, he urges three considerations ; the 
happiness of a good life ; the approbation and protec- 
tion of God ; and the influence of the christian tem- 
per and deportment in preserving its possessor from 
much that would harm him, and in comforting him when 
he suffers for righteousness' sake. 

The last of these considerations is contained in the 
text, and will form the subject of the ensuing discourse*. 
The three considerations, indeed, are very closely re- 
lated, and in a measure involve each other ; so that in 
discussing the last, the two former will, of necessity, be 
brought into view. 

" Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of 
that which is good ? But and if ye suffer for righteous- 
ness' sake, happy are ye." This passage, though di~ 



58 DISCOURSE III. 

vided into two parts, or verses, in our translation of the 
scriptures, is, in the original, a single sentence, or pe- 
riod, and ought to be so considered, if we would per- 
ceive its full force and beauty. It contains, you will 
observe, a condition, an interrogatory, and an affirma- 
tion. The condition is, the possession of a certain 
character, " if ye be followers of that which is good." 
The interrogatory — who will harm the possessors of 
this character ? And, the affirmation — that if they 
even suffer for righteousness' sake, still they are 
happy. 

After speaking to each of these points in order, it 
will remain to apply the subject. 

I. We are, first of all, to notice the condition, on 
which the interrogatory and affirmation in the text are 
grounded, namely, that it must be the character of the 
parties spoken of, that they are followers of that which 
is good. 

The original words which our translators render — 
if if ye be followers of that which is good," literally sig- 
nify — " if ye be imitators of him that is good," or " of 
the thing that is good." Accordingly Doddridge hesi- 
tates not to translate and paraphrase the words thus — 
" Who shall have the ability or inclination to hurt you* 
if ye imitate Him who is supremely good ; if you copy 
after the benevolence of the Divine Being, and of your 
great Master, whose whole life was so illustrious an 
example of the most diffusive generosity and goodness 
to his followers ?" Other translators have followed this 



DISCOURSE III. 59 

construction, and I doubt not, for myself, that it gives 
the true sense of the passage. It seems to be equiva- 
lent to the expression of the apostle Paul — "Be ye 
followers/' or imitators " of God, as dear children." 

The divine Saviour was bcth God and man, and in 
him we have a perfect example. By setting this 
example constantly before us, we shall have a faultless 
copy to imitate. The perfection of the copy, indeed, 
we shall but imperfectly approximate ; and yet by aiming 
at it continually we may attain an excellence that oth- 
erwise we should never reach. Subordinately to this, 
we should, also, be imitators of those mere men whose 
conduct, in various characters and circumstances, has 
been most exemplary and laudable. The apostle Paul 
exhorts the Corinthians — "Be ye followers of me, 
even as I also am of Christ." And elsewhere he says — 
6i Be ye followers of them who, through faith and pa- 
tience, inherit the promises." To propose to ourselves 
the most finished patterns of excellence, in the various 
relations and occupations of life, has been long and 
often recommended as one of the best adapted means 
for rising high in the scale of virtue and improvement. 
As St. Peter, in the text, is speaking of that which 
was to have influence on others, and even on enemies, 
it is manifest that he must have had a direct reference 
to visible deportment. Yet I think it of the greatest 
importance here, to remark, that the conduct which the 
apostle recommends, must be derived from that genu- 
ine christian principle, which* ;has its spring in the 



60 DISCOURSE IIL 

heart ; and that it can flow from no other source. No 
other heart than one which is renewed and sanctified by 
divine grace, will have those evil passions which make 
a man the tormentor of himself, as well as the injur er 
of others, effectually subdued, or rather, in a measure, 
eradicated, and dispositions of an opposite nature, fa- 
vourable to inward peace and enjoyment, and to out- 
ward kindness and beneficence, implanted in their room. 
Besides ; though the spirit and wisdom of the world 
dictate the same practice as christian principle, to a 
certain extent ; both, for example, requiring veracity, 
integrity and courtesy ; yet in certain points, and 
those very material to our present purpose, they 
not only vary, but are directly opposite to each other. 
The spirit of the gospel requires humility, self-denial, 
patience and forbearance ; and forbids every species of 
revenge. The spirit of the world, on the contrary, 
not merely permits a proud and vindictive temper and 
practice, but, on certain occasions, enjoins them. They, 
therefore, who would be followers of that which is good ; 
—they who would be imitators of Christ, and of the 
most distinguished worthies of our race ; — they who 
would take the whole revealed system for their guide ; 
— they, in a word, who would really come up to the 
demands of the condition in the text — must not be 
« conformed to this world, but transformed by the re- 
newing of their mind." They must be vital, practical 
christians ; and the more they are inwardly sanctified, 
the more will they be qtitwardly what the text requires, 



DISCOURSE HI. 61 

But, having considered the fountain as purified, let us 
trace a little the wholesome and pleasant streams, which 
it will he sure to send forth ; and which are so refresh- 
ing and delightful in the journey of human life, that 
none but the most perverted and depraved can fail to 
relish, admire and commend them. The lives of the 
best men, indeed, do not exhibit all the proper effects of 
true christian principle. Sanctified but in part, their 
practice is but imperfectly conformed to the standard of 
duty which they sincerely and supremely love, and by 
which they honestly desire and endeavour to regulate their 
conduct. But, although christian practice is never all that 
christian principle is calculated to make it, still the proper 
tendency of that principle ought to be clearly shown. 
Nor should we make too great an allowance for human 
infirmity, lest we encourage and increase an evil which 
we ought only to deplore. The apostle evidently con- 
templated in the text an exemplary exhibition of the 
christian character. 

With these remarks in view, let it be observed, that 
the follower of that which is good, he who truly endea- 
vours to imitate Christ, will, in some good measure, ex- 
emplify such a system of practice as the following — He 
will strive to perform every duty which he owes to God 
and man, in a manner, at once the most exact and the 
most acceptable. Although sincerely and devoutly 
pious, so that he would sooner sacrifice his life than 
his religion; although he will neither deny nor be 
ashamed of Christ and his cause, in any company or 



62 DISCOURSE III. 

situation in which you can place him, nor consent to 
modify the pure doctrines of the gospel, so as to ac- 
commodate them to a corrupt taste ; although he will, 
on all suitable occasions, contend earnestly for the faith 
once delivered to the saints ; yet he will do all this in the 
most inoffensive manner that he can devise. He will 
be careful to profess and defend religion with a gospel 
temper ; and will return good for evil, blessing for curs- 
ing. He will be watchful to do nothing that shall cause 
his good to be evil spoken of; and will therefore avoid 
austerity, moroseness, harshness, uncharitableness and 
arrogance. In a word, he will seek to render the gos- 
pel, in its purity, as little offensive as it can be render- 
ed to those who have not yet cordially embraced it ; 
feeling the obligation and the importance of his Lord's 
injunction — " Let your light so shine before men that 
they may see your good works and glorify your Father 
which is in heaven." In discharging the general duties 
which he owes to his brethren of mankind, the follower of 
that which is good, will be just, and fair, and equitable, 
and kind, and liberal, and merciful. He will obey the 
precept, " Owe no man any thing, but to love one anoth- 
er." He will never circumvent, nor defraud, nor de- 
ceive, nor deal hardly with any man. He will consci- 
entiously and faithfully perform every engagement that 
he makes, and never betray the trust or confidence 
reposed in him. 

In the discharge of all relative and official duties, he 
will be very exemplary. He will be a dutiful son, a 



DISCOURSE III. 63 

tender husband, an affectionate father, a reasonable 
master, a kind neighbour, a faithful friend, a good citi- 
zen, an upright magistrate. He will be liberal of his 
substance ; will give freely to the poor, and patronize all 
schemes for the promotion of knowledge, of piety, and 
of public utility. He will be a peace-maker ; not only 
avoiding broils and contentions himself, but endeavour- 
ing to prevent them, or to heal them, among others. 
He will never do an ill office to any one ; but will 
love to serve and promote the interest of others, when- 
ever he finds it in his power. He will be a man of 
sympathy ; he will enter into the feelings of others, rejoic- 
ing with those that rejoice, and weeping with those that 
weep. He will be kind, and obliging, in all his deportment. 
In every way that he can, and in every place in which 
he may find himself, he will seek to do good ; for this 
is what he loves ; he follows it ; he is devoted to it ; 
for the supposition is, that he is like his Saviour, who 
" went about doing good." 

II. Brethren, can we now fail to feel the force of 
the interrogatory which forms the second point to be 
considered ? Might not the apostle well ask who is he 
that will harm such a man as has just been described ? 
Will he not be likely to have more friends than any 
other man ? Will he not often convert enemies into 
friends? And will he not sometimes shame, confound 
and silence, those whom he cannot conciliate ? Will not 
his enemies find it difficult to assign a plausible pre- 
tence to harm him ? Nay, will they not find it difficult 



64 DISCOURSE III. 

to get at him to do him harm ? Will not his temper 
and conduct become a broad shield, to intercept, or 
turn aside, the shafts of malignity and baseness ? To 
all these inquiries, and many more of a similar kind, 
which carry their answer along with them, the single 
question in the text seems naturally to give rise. 

The apostle, indeed, does immediately intimate — and 
this we are afterwards to consider — that the man we 
have described, may, after all, be called to suffer. Yet 
the distinct, and clear, and strong import of the text is, 
that this follower or imitator of good and goodness, 
will effectually secure himself against much harm ; that 
his excellent temper and exemplary life will, in a very 
high degree, prove a protection to him. To illustrate 
this, I will a little extend the ideas already suggested, 
and bring into view some additional considerations. 

1. The follower or imitator of that which is good, 
will not harm himself, as bad men do, by cherishing 
those feelings and passions which are, in their very 
nature, painful and tormenting. It is in this way that 
men inflict upon themselves a very large proportion of 
all their sufferings. Take away all the miseries which 
arise from repining against God, his providence, his 
dispensations, his allotments ; all that are produced by 
the fear of his displeasure, both here and hereafter ; 
all that spring from discontent, from peevishness, from 
mortified pride, from envy, from resentment, hatred, 
and the desire of revenge ; all that are created by cov - 
etousness, by avarice, by ungratified ambition, and by 



DISCOURSE lit 65 

disappointed vanity ;— in a word, by all the unhallowed 
and malignant passions— -Take them all away> and 
think what a mass of wretchedness you have destroyed* 
Think how great a proportion these had feelings and 
passions make of all that does harm to human enjoy- 
ment. Think how comparatively blessed a man would 
be who should never feel one of them, or who, having 
felt them, should never feel them more* Would he not 
by this, have more done to make him happy, than 
could be done in every other way ? Assuredly he would* 
Remember, then, that he who is a follower of that 
which is good, is this very man. To see that he is soj 
you have only to recollect his character, as already giv- 
en. In proportion as he possesses that character, 
he will avoid all the harm, the entire mass of misery* 
to which your attention has just been directed. And the 
sole reason that he does not avoid it completely, is that 
he does not perfectly possess the character. But in 
the degree in which it is, in fact, often possessed, it 
effects much, very much. It preserves the possessor 
from being a self tormentor, the most incessant and 
most cruel of all tormentors* 

Nor is the happy influence of this character merely 
negative. It not only exterminates or suppresses bad 
passions and emotions, but it implants those which are 
good and productive of the highest inward delight* 
Let inspiration instruct us here. " The fruit of the 
spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness^ 

goodness, faith, meekness, temperance," No human 

K 



66 DISCOURSE III. 

bosom can be so happy as that in which these heavenly 
affections are warm and active : and in the bosom of 
him who is a follower of that which is good, and in 
his only, they are actually found. 

2. As the temper and dispositions of the follower of 
that which is good, preserve him from harming himself, 
so, also, they save him from provoking others to injure 
him. There certainly are some injuries which are en- 
tirely unprovoked. But in a large majority of cases 
they are, in a degree, invited; or at least some oc- 
casion is given to inflict them. Here, for exam- 
ple, is a man of an overbearing temper. He arro- 
gates to himself what he will not concede to others. 
He is determined that the world shall bow to him, and 
not he to it. But the world, unhappily, contains too 
many spirits like his own. They rise in hostility 
against him, and in the unequal contest he is vanquish- 
ed, humbled, injured. But this injury he plainly pro- 
voked and invited. Had religion been his counsellor 
and guide ; had he been a follower of that which is 
good, who is he that would have harmed him ? 

Again ; here is a man far less obnoxious than the 
one just described. He is punctiliously careful never 
to give an offence. But in his turn he is resolved never, 
passively, to receive one. He holds it to be altogether 
beneath a man of spirit to suffer the smallest affront to 
go unrevenged. What is the consequence ? He is often 
engaged in broils and contentions, in demanding expla- 
nations, and in affairs of honour 5 till at last he, not im- 



DISCOURSE m. 67 

probably, terminates his life in single combat. Now, 
had this man been a follower of that which is good, 
had he learned to forgive, and not to revenge, who 
would have harmed him ? How much more peacefully 
would he have lived 5 and how much more happily 
would he have died ? 

3. Closely connected with the last particular is the 
consideration, that the follower of that which is good, in 
addition to his avoiding every thing calculated to irri- 
tate others, will do much to conciliate them. His char- 
acter is exactly that which is the best adapted to make 
others love him. He will have many and warm 
friends ; and, if he live long, he will, in instances not a 
few, disarm those that had once been hostile. All men 
would rather have friends than enemies. Bad men are 
not only willing, but often very desirous, to have the 
friendship of the good, because it is both useful and 
honourable to them. They will, therefore, not only be 
ready to accept the friendship of an amiable and excel- 
lent man, but, when it does not interfere too much with 
their passions and pursuits, will usually make some 
sacrifices to obtain and keep it. And when they do 
not go even this length, they sometimes choose, from 
the same motive of self interest, not to appear as the 
open and avowed enemies of such a man. It hurts 
themselves, by diminishing their influence and respect- 
ability. And even when they will not be restrained ; 
when they either secretly or openly assail him, they 
often find it impracticable to do him any real injury. 



ea discourse in. 

His character defends him, and the malignant efforts of 
his enemies only recoil upon themselves. 

4. As the character we consider preserves its pos- 
sessor from much harm, by being amiable and concili- 
atory, so, it is productive of the same effect, by the 
dignity which it confers, and the awe and veneration 
which it inspires. Nothing can be farther from the 
truth than to suppose, that to follow that which is good, 
in the manner we have described, is calculated to bring 
upon him who does it, the imputation of pusillanimity, 
meanness, or cowardice ; and to cause him rather to be 
despised and insulted, than respected and feared. If 
the character be consistently maintained ; if all the vir- 
tues which belong to it be exhibited in their just har- 
mony and proportion, the very reverse will be the 
effect produced. Mildness and majesty, meekness and 
dignity, temper and firmness, kindness and decision, 
are so far from being inconsistent, that they are always 
auxiliary to each other. The genuine character we 
contemplate will, therefore, be as defensive as it is in- 
nocent and amiable. Often has the majesty of virtue 
overawed the profligate and profane, and been a protec- 
tion to its possessor. Sinners of a common character 
are abashed in its presence. Ordinary vice blushes 
before it, and skulks into concealment. It flees from 
that which exposes its deformity, by contrast, as well 
as by verbal reproof- Guilt is naturally timid, and 
innocence and integrity are naturally undaunted. Guilt- 
violates conscience, and the principles of honour and 






DISCOURSE III. 69 

shame ; innocence and integrity have them all on their 
side. Hence, when bad men have been resolutely bent 
on offering personal violence, or insult, to the follower 
of that which is good, the very sight and presence of 
the good man has sometimes confounded and discon- 
certed them utterly. They have fled from him, or 
humbled themselves before him — " Surely never man 
spake like this man;" said the discomfited band that 
had been sent to apprehend our blessed Lord* Herod, 
although an absolute monarch and steeped in blood and 
crime, yet feared John the Baptist; for a time heard 
him gladly, and did many things which he enjoined. 
Nor was it till the wretched tyrant was inflamed by 
wine, intoxicated with mirth, surrounded by his cour- 
tiers, insnared by a foolish and wicked oath, and se- 
duced by an insidious harlot, that he could be persua- 
ded to issue the murderous mandate to destroy John : 
and even then he was " very sorry" for what his false 
honour drove him to perpetrate. So much is vice over- 
awed by virtue ! So venerable and defensive is a good 
man's character ! 

5. The follower of that which is good will escape 
much harm, because he will have no connexion with the 
company, the places, the occasions, and the practices* 
from which mischiefs of the most serious kind commonly 
arise. 

Examine in what places, and on what occasions, the 
most calamitous disasters that disturb and distress do- 
mestic and social life have most frequently taken their 



70 DISCOURSE III. 

rise. You will find that they have sprung from places 
of rioting and drunkenness, chambering and wanton- 
ness ; from the midnight revel ; from lawless or exces- 
sive indulgence ; or from the company and counsels of 
wicked men. The gaol and the gibbet are furnished 
from tippling houses, and taverns, and brothels, and the 
influence of vile associates. The murders — for murders 
they strictly are — which are committed in the infernal 
practice of duelling, may often be traced to parties of 
pleasure, to theatres, to harlots, to companies and con- 
versations where the spirits are unduly excited, and 
the passions inflamed by intemperance. " Who hath 
wo ? who hath sorrow ? who hath contentions ? who 
hath babbling ? who hath wounds without cause ? who 
hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the 
wine ; they that go to seek mixed wine — At the last it 
biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder." Ah ! 
how many a broken-hearted parent, how many a discon- 
solate wife, how many a ruined child, has been indebt- 
ed to scenes, and associates, and causes, such as we 
have here noticed, for calamities which, to the end of 
life, they have had to lament, without being able to 
remove ! It is obvious, without remark, that from this 
whole host of harms and evils the follower of that which 
is good will be absolutely free, and completely secured 
by the very character he possesses. 

6. Who will harm the follower of that which is good, 
when there is no one so obedient as he to all the laws 
of his country 5 and so observant of what is due to 



DISCOURSE IIL 7i 

magistrates and superiors ? When it is said — " but 
and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake" — it is strongly 
intimated that a good man will suffer for nothing else. 
He will never, while he acts in character, do any thing 
for which it will be right that, from the hand of man, he 
should suffer. For he will obey scrupulously and ex- 
actly every known law of his country, not inconsistent 
with the laws of God ; and this not merely through 
fear, but also " for conscience sake." It is nothing 
to him though he could violate or evade a law of the 
land, without the possibility of discovery. His con- 
science gives him a law which is superior to all others ; 
and which sanctions all others, so far as they offer no 
violation to itself. When, therefore, human laws leave 
it perfectly in his power, as they sometimes may, to 
defraud or injure his neighbour, that neighbour is still 
protected by the good man's conscience. He will not 
willingly do wrong to any man, whatever opportunity 
or temptation he may have to do it. 

For conscience sake he will, also, obey and respect 
magistrates. By an authority which is supreme with him 
he is taught to regard them as " the ordinance of God." 
He will therefore " render to all their dues ; tribute to 
whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom 
fear, honour to whom honour." The apostle, brethren, 
seems to have had the subject of this particular distinctly 
in his view when he penned the text : And it is seen at 
once, that no individual who conscientiously obeys all 
the laws of society, demeans himself properly to all his 



t2 DISCOURSE IIL 

superiors, and is also extensively charitable and benefi- 
cent, ever can suffer from any law, or magistracy, or 
human authority whatsoever, unless he suffer unjustly* 
7. I close this part of the subject with observing, 
that the follower of that which is good will be saved 
from much harm by the special providence and protec- 
tion of God. This is unquestionably a doctrine of holy 
scripture. The providence of God, indeed, extends to 
all men — nay to all his creatures, whether animate or 
inanimate. But he is the covenant God of his people 
only ; and to them alone he has given assurance of a 
particular favourable regard. Of them, exclusively, it 
is said— -" He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of 
his eye — Yea, he reproveth kings for their sake ; saying 
touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm — 
The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them 
that fear him and delivereth them/* In what particular 
instances or circumstances the invisible agency of angels, 
or of the Lord of angels, is, more especially, interposed 
to defend and deliver his people, is unknown to them. 
Yet they know the fact, that such an agency is exer- 
cised. They know, also, that the superintending care 
of the God of providence, is always so extended over 
them, that nothing rational or irrational, visible or in- 
visible, shall ever be permitted to harm them, farther 
than he shall permit, and overrule for their good. 
They have an express assurance that " when a man's 
ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to 
be at peace with him." He controls their rage : or he 



DISCOURSE III. 73 

inclines them to better purposes than those which they 
had formed against his people ; or he limits or disap- 
points their efforts, by his providential dispensations* 
" Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee ; the re- 
mainder of wrath shalt thou restrain" — And who can 
destroy whom God will save ! who can harm whom om- 
nipotence will protect I 

So extensive and comprehensive, then, is the import 
of the interrogatory in the text. So various and nume- 
rous are the ways, in which a good man's character 
and state, will prove a protection to him. Yet, after 
all, as already hinted, the text admits that he may 
" suffer for righteousness' sake." And we are now 

III. To illustrate the affirmation, that although he 
suffer thus, still he is happy. 

Here it will be proper, first, to notice the hypotheti- 
cal form of the apostle's language — "but and if ye 
suffer." This seems to intimate that probably some of 
those to whom there was reference would almost, or 
altogether, escape suffering* And this is found in 
experience to be the fact. Generally those suffer 
least, who have least to do with public concerns, 
and are least exposed to publick notice. The fol- 
lower of that which is good, in the quiet scenes of 
private life, may be so influential, and so beloved, and 
scatter so many blessings around him, as sometimes 
scarcely to know what it is to suffer for righteousness' 
sake. This, however, is far from being always the 
case, even in private life ; and it is, I think, never the 



74 DISCOURSE III. 

case, when the good man occupies a publick and re- 
sponsible station, and is obliged to have much to do 
with concerns, in which the interests and feelings of 
others are deeply involved. In these circumstances, 
no good man can reasonably expect wholly to escape 
the effect of unreasonable and unjust resentment. A 
wise and sovereign God, indeed, awards to his people 
their several allotments of suffering in his cause, as of 
every thing else. Far more is endured in one age and 
place than in another. And even among individuals, in 
the same or similar circumstances, one is grievously 
persecuted, and another is comparatively but little an- 
noyed. In view of this, we can only say — " Even so, 
Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." 

It appears, then, that no follower of that which is 
good ought to calculate on a total exemption from suf- 
fering, but rather to prepare to meet it patiently and 
firmly. Our perfect and blameless example, the Lord 
Jesus Christ himself, was, we know, through much of 
his life, in various ways, subjected to extreme suffering 
for righteousness' sake ; and at last was " taken by 
wicked hands and crucified and slain." And he hath 
reminded us that " The servant is not above his mas- 
ter, nor the disciple above his Lord. It is enough for 
the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant 
as his Lord. If they have called the Master of the 
house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them 
of his household — If they have persecuted me they will 
also persecute you." These words were no doubt in- 



DISCOURSE HI. 75 

tended to have a peculiar reference to the apostles and 
primitive christians ; but the spirit of them is applica- 
ble to the followers of Christ at all times, and in all 
places. So that, although the character which good men 
possess will be a defence to them in all the ways which 
have been mentioned, yet this character itself may 
be the very cause of their suffering. They may 
suffer not only although they are good, but because they 
are good — u suffer for righteousness' sake." 

The conspicuous virtues of a good man form, of them- 
selves, a reproof to the openly vicious, which, in some cir- 
cumstances, they keenly feel. His character reproaches 
theirs, and fills them with malignant hatred against 
him. Sometimes, too, his duty requires that he should, 
in words and in a personal address, reprove their vices. 
At other times, he is called actively and publickly to 
withstand them ; to expose their pernicious principles 
or designs, and warn others against them ; to detect 
their hypocrisy ; to oppose their acquisition of unjust 
gain, their frauds, their extortion, their avarice, their 
profligacy, their licentious pleasures, their ambition, 
their thirst of revenge. Hence, when the wicked are 
armed with power, they will sometimes be satisfied 
with nothing, short of the blood of those from whom 
they have met with opposition and reproof. Our bles- 
sed Lord himself, his forerunner, his apostles, and in- 
numerable martyrs and holy men in all ages, have been 
examples of this truth. But when the wicked cannot, 
or dare not, or are not disposed to take the life of a good 



76 DISCOURSE III. 

man, still they often cause him to suffer greatly. They 
slander him ; they excite and foment prejudices against 
him $ they combine and lie in wait to seize a favourable 
opportunity to injure him, to diminish his influence, to 
bring him into disesteem, and, if they can, to ruin him, 
For the most part, their iniquitous designs and attempts 
are, in a great measure, defeated. Truth and integrity 
are generally an overmatch for intrigue and falsehood. 
The good man's character, as we have seen, forms a 
bulwark around him, which it is not easy either to force 
or mine. In some instances, however, they are suc- 
cessful, at least for a time ; frequently they do not alto- 
gether fail in their wicked devices ; and almost always 
they annoy and disturb the object of their hatred. Yet, 
in the midst of all, I affirm, in accordance with the text, 
that the good man is happy — enviably happy. 

1. He is happy, on the whole, in regard to his in- 
ward feelings, and the state of his mind. As he suffers 
for righteousness' sake, his conscience cannot but be 
his friend, and commend him decisively for doing the 
very things which have brought persecution on him. 
It is impossible, therefore, that he should feel remorse or 
self reproach. At times he may have some conflicts 
with himself, in his endeavours to preserve a christian 
temper, under all the unjust and cruel treatment which 
he receives. Yet, in general, he is tranquil ; and a 
peaceful and approving conscience makes him happy. 
Nay, in the view of all that he has done, and of all 
that he suffers for it, he often lifts up his heart in 



DISCOURSE III. 77 

thanksgiving to God, for that grace which has enabled him 
to " keep a conscience void of offence," and he rejoices 
with exceeding great joy. Verily, it is not easy to tell 
how blessed a possession is this peaceful and approving 
conscience, of which I am speaking. It blesses by day 
and by night. It takes away the sting of affliction. 
It makes the pillow grateful, and sleep refreshing. 
Daniel might sleep in the den of lions, and perhaps did so, 
while the unhappy monarch under whose order he suf- 
fered, passed a sleepless night, in reflecting on his folly 
and guilt. The author of our text, we know, was 
sleeping— mark it— " sleeping between two soldiers, 
bound with two chains" when the angel came to deliver 
him ; although he knew that on the following morning 
lie was to be led out to a violent and ignominious death. 
And both he and his fellow apostles, when they had been 
beaten, at the command of the Jewish rulers, " departed 
from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they 
were counted worthy to suffer shame," for the name of 
their Lord. Was it not, think you, under an impressive 
recollection of these very events that the holy apostle 
penned the text—" But and if ye suffer for righteous- 
ness sake, happy are ye ?" Yes, he had tried it, and 
knew by experience, as well as by inspiration, the 
precious truth which he recorded. And try it whoever 
may, it shall always be found true, that an approving 
conscience will render him who suffers for righteous- 
ness' sake, emphatically, a blessed man. 



78 DISCOURSE III. 

2. It must be so, because the good man knows that dis- 
approbation of his conscience is the approbation of 
God. Conscience has often been denominated God's 
vicegerent. The appellation is not always just ; be- 
cause conscience is sometimes misinformed and mis- 
guided, and speaks, " peace, peace, when there is no 
peace." But when conscience has been enlightened 
by the divine law, pacified by the sprinkling of atoning 
blood, and conformed to the standard of gospel obedi- 
ence, then its voice is indeed the voice of God. And 
such, as his character demonstrates, must be the con- 
science of every one, who is a follower of that which is 
good. But in addition to his general character, the 
very circumstance that he suffers for righteousness 
sake, affords him one of the best evidences that he is 
the friend of God, and that God is his friend. 

When virtue and piety are rewarded by esteem, and 
honour, and wealth, many appear to be virtuous and 
pious, who are so in appearance only, and who drop the 
disguise as soon as persecution threatens them. But 
if a man adhere steadfastly to his duty, when it subjects 
him to reproach, and shame, and loss, and pain, his 
sincerity is proved by the most rigorous and unequivo- 
cal test. He perceives this, and he rejoices in the ev- 
idence thus afforded to his own mind, that his attach- 
ment to rectitude is both genuine and stable ; and conse- 
quently that the heart- searching God approves his 
conduct. Now, this is precisely the situation of the 
good man while he is suffering; for righteousness sake. 



DISCOURSE III. 79 

He sees that he is enduring the trial of his integrity, 
and he feels that he is willing to abide it. He knows 
that God witnesses the motives by which he is influen- 
ced, is pleased with the course he is pursuing, and will 
abundantly reward him for all that he suffers. He sees 
that should his enemies even take his life, they would 
only liberate him the more speedily from all his suffer- 
ings, and introduce him at once to ineffable and endless 
felicity. He can therefore say with truth, that he " re- 
joices in tribulation." Yes, brethren, *h]$ consolations 
are sometimes inexpressible — assured that the God before 
whom all creatures are dust and vanity, looks down upon 
him in his affliction with complacency, shines into his soul 
with the refreshing influences of his grace, takes him 
into sweet communion with Himself, and leads forward 
his views to that crown of eternal life, which he is 
shortly to receive, and shows it brightened and increas- 
ed in value, by the furnace of affliction through which 
he is now passing. Oh ! how often has this blessed 
and overflowing source of consolation enabled those who 
have suffered, even unto death, for righteousness sake, 
to utter the language of holy joy and triumph, while 
they have ascended the scaffold or been consuming at the 
stake ! Like their Master, and like his first martyr, they 
have prayed for their enemies with their expiring 
breath ; and the agonies of a violent death have been 
prevented or forgotten, in a foretaste of the heaven to 
which they were rising — Who, then, is not prepared to 
say with the apostle, " But and if ye suffer for righteous- 
ness' sake happy are ye." ? 



80 DISCOURSE III. 

It now only remains to apply this subject — 

To YOU, MY YOUNG FRIENDS, WHO ARE CANDIDATES FOR 
THE HONOURS OF THIS INSTITUTION. 

The subject, indeed, would admit of a very general 
application, illustrative of the excellence and advanta- 
ges of true religion, and powerfully recommending it 
to the love and practice of all men, But I have only 
time to say a few words to you, whom I am probably 
addressing for the last time ; and for whose sake, espe- 
cially, the suty'eet has been chosen and discussed. At 
parting from you, I was earnestly desirous of giving you 
a map, so to speak, of the course which I wished you 
to pursue through life ; and of saying what I could, to 
engage you to take and adhere to this course. This has 
been my aim, in all that you have now heard. The de- 
lineation I have given, is, I know, imperfect ; but imper- 
fect as it is, I make it over to you, and assure you con- 
fidently, that if you realize in yourselves the character 
you have heard described, you will not fail to be happy. 
Your prospects and expectations are, no doubt, very 
various. Some of you, perhaps, are to pass your lives 
in retirement. Most of you, probably, are to be publick 
men — ministers of the gospel, lawyers, physicians, states- 
men, or soldiers. But nu matter what station you are 
to occupy, no matter what character you are to sustain, 
no matter what business you are to follow, no matter 
what portion of talent or improvement you may possess, 
this subject is alike applicable, and equally interesting 
to you all. Every one of you may be, and every one of 



DISCOURSE III. SI 

you ought to be, a follower of that which is good* If 
you are, you will be happy, and if not, you must be mis* 
erable. 

With paternal anxiety I have often warned and advis- 
ed and directed you ; and with the same anxiety I now 
look forward to what may be before you. The first 
and most serious thought which strikes my mind, and 
which ought to affect your's, is, that God only knows 
who of you will live, and who of you will not live, to 
take an established standing in society. The catalogue 
of our college exhibits the note of mortality affixed to 
the names of a number who, a very short time since^ 
left this place in as much health, and with as bright and 
cheering prospects, as any of you now possess. Some 
of your names, it is highly probable, will soon be marked 
in the same manner. Oh ! think on this~and if any of 
you have not yet begun to be followers of that which is 
good, begin without delay. Without this you cannot be 
safe for a day or an hour : with it you are safe, wheth- 
er life or death await you- 

If you live, you ought to be sensible, that you cannot 
live long without meeting with difficulties, and enemies, 
and sufferings. Form what plans, or take what course 
you may, you cannot avoid them ; they will still assail 
you. If you are not followers of that which is good^ 
you will find more of them than if you are ; and you 
will have to encounter them with every disadvantage* 
Remember, then, that I have shewn you the way in which 

you will meet with the smallest share of adversity 5 

M 



82 DISCOURSE III. 

and in which you will have the greatest support under 
that which is unavoidable ; nay, in which adversity 
itself will be made to contribute to your felicity. 

By taking this way, you will also take the high road 
to usefulness, honour and distinction. For if you act 
consistently, as followers of that which is good, you will 
be careful to make the best use of the advantages which 
you have derived from a liberal education. You will 
feel bound to make improvement in knowledge, and to 
employ all your knowledge for some useful purpose. 
The natural result of this, will be influence, esteem and 
honour. I do earnestly wish that these ideas were more 
seriously considered and regarded than they commonly 
are. Improvement in knowledge ought not to be re- 
garded, as it commonly is, merely as a matter of taste 
and inclination. It is certainly more. There is, un- 
questionably, a moral obligation imposed on all who 
possess the means of improvement, to make improve- 
ment to the whole extent of their means. They are 
entrusted with a talent, for which they must render a 
strict and solemn account. In like manner, every man 
who possesses useful knowledge, is bound, whatever be 
his profession or vocation in life, to employ his whole 
stock of intellectual strength and furniture, in the best 
manner he can, for the promotion of God's glory and 
the good of his fellow men. And doing this conscien- 
tiously and steadily, he will certainly be useful and re- 
spected. Commonly he will have much influence ; and 
often he will rise to high honour and distinction. View 



DISCOURSE IIL 83 

the subject in this light, my young friends ; act upon 
this plan ; be governed by these principles ; be consist- 
ent followers of that which is good; and you cannot 
fail to pass your lives happily, and to close them peace- 
fully or triumphantly. 

Writers, I know there are, and some of considerable 
character, who have attempted to delineate a happy and 
useful life, without giving to religion any place in their 
system. And it is doubtless true that worldly honour 
and integrity, sobriety, benevolence, public spirit and 
intellectual pleasures, will always be productive of un- 
speakably more enjoyment and more respect, than can 
be found in any course of life which excludes them, or 
leaves them unregarded. Yet, after all, this system is 
miserably imperfect : so imperfect, indeed, that we must 
consider that man as wretched who is destitute of re- 
ligion. He has no resting place for his soul while he 
lives ; no rational hope in death ; no satisfying pros- 
pect beyond the grave. The Creator has evidently 
intended that man should find his highest enjoyment 
even in prosperity, and his chief solace in adversity, in 
genuine piety. For this, therefore, no human ingenuity 
or efforts have ever found a substitute, and they never 
will find one. My dear young friends, seek no such substi- 
tute. Seek the grace of God to make you, and keep you, 
truly pious. Take the entire character of a follower of 
that which is good, as I have presented it to you, and 
try to make it your own. You will find that it will be 
more, far more advantageous, than I have been able to 



84 DISCOURSE III. 

represent it. If you possess it, nothing, as you have 
heard, will be permitted really to harm you, because 
the Almighty God will be your friend and protector. 
Oh! may his grace guide you, may his providence 
protect you, may his richest blessing rest upon you! 
Amen. 



I 



DISCOURSE IV, 



THE WORD OF GOD THE GUIDE OF YOUTH. 



PSALM CXIX. 9. 

•'•' Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way ? By 
taking heed thereto according to thy wordP 

X HESE words contain a question of great importance 
and interest, proposed and answered under the guid- 
ance of the Spirit of infallible truth. A point thus 
settled can neither need, nor receive, any additional 
confirmation. Yet truths, unquestionable in themselves, 
may sometimes be greatly illustrated and enforced by 
example; and the text, it is believed, contains this 
additional excellence. There is much reason to think, 
as commentators have shown, that it was the inten- 
tion of the inspired Psalmist in the text, not only to 
publish an oracle of the Holy Spirit, but to state the 
result of his own experience : — to declare, that having 
been engaged from early life, in forming his temper 
and regulating his conduct by the word of God, as a 
standard, he could now, in advanced age, confidently 
assure every young man that this, and this only, would 
be found a safe and perfect rule. That the influence 
of the divine word begins with cleansing, or purifying, 



86 DISCOURSE IV. 

the heart ; and that then, in natural order, it directs 
the whole current of life and action into " a way/' free 
from the pollutions and the miseries of impiety and 
vice. 

Such appears to me to be the true scope and import 
of the text. And as the language of the inspired pen- 
man seems plainly to imply, what we know to be fact, 
that in forming the temper and ordering the life, there 
are other ways, than that which is marked out in the 
word of God, and that all these, as being different from 
the safe and right way, are to be carefully and con- 
stantly avoided by the young ; it is intended to frame 
the whole of the subsequent discussion with special 
reference to this important consideration. 

Those who reject revealed truth, entirely and ex- 
plicitly, have still their system of principles and con- 
duct, which they denominate moral, and which they 
teach and recommend. Other systems there also are, 
not entirely derived from the word of God, nor consist- 
ent with it, which occasionally obtain a great currency, 
even among those who bear, and who wish to retain, 
the christian name. To specify some of these — There 
is the system of those who grossly pervert or misrepre- 
sent the scriptures ; the system of mere formalists in 
religion ; the system of sagacious worldly men ; the 
system of fashionable life — and besides all those who 
deliberately embrace any of these systems, a multitude 
of mankind live and act without thought and without 
consistency, and therefore cannot be said to follow any 



DISCOURSE IV. 87 

system. Now, as society cannot exist without a regard 
to certain fundamental principles of morals, all the clas- 
ses specified, invariably profess to pay a regard to these 
principles. There is often, indeed, much more profes- 
sed, than is either practiced or felt ; yet the principles 
in question must in some measure be respected by all. 
Truth and integrity, for example, all men, who support 
any pretensions to character, must treat with respect. 
But although, to a certain extent, all imperfect or false 
systems of morals must require what the word of God 
requires, yet in some particulars, and those too of the 
highest importance, they differ from that word, and 
sometimes, directly oppose it. And here, precisely, lies 
the danger to which men in general, and young men in 
particular, are exposed. Youth are not only destitute 
of experience, but their passions are more ardent and 
impetuous, and of course, the temptations to vice act 
upon them with greater force and advantage, than at a 
more advanced age. And as all lax systems of morals 
allow a latititude and gratification to sinful propen- 
sities, which the word of God strictly prohibits, youth 
are in great danger of perversion and pollution by be- 
ing seduced into them ; being tempted to reject or dis- 
regard the system which they ought to adopt, be- 
cause it is opposed to every licentious indulgence and 
inclination. 

This danger, which is common to all youth, is, if 
care be not taken to prevent it, rather increased than 
diminished, with those who are liberally educated, 
I 



83 DISCOURSE IV. 

Classical reading itself, is not without a tendency to fos- 
ter some notions and feelings which do not entirely ac- 
cord with the spirit of the gospel ;# the pride of science 
has the same tendency ; and some of the authors usually 
read as standards of taste and composition, to say noth- 
ing of the fashionable publications of the day, are 
rather calculated to cherish than to abate the evil. 

To prevent, as far as possible, the mischief here con- 
templated, as well as to subserve other important ends, 
the study of the holy scriptures has, for some time past, 
been interwoven with our whole College course ; and 
those who belong to the institution know, that the com- 
ments made on the portions read and recited, have been 
constantly directed to the vindication and enforcement 
of revealed truth, in opposition to infidel objections, 
loose principles, and unchristian practice. Still, it has 
appeared to me that it might be useful to sketch, dis- 
tinctly and connectedly, an outline of the genuine sys- 
tem of moral principle and action taught in holy scrip- 
ture, as contradistinguished from every other ; and with 
a view to attempt this, the present subject of discussion 
has been selected. 

It is impossible, however, in the time alotted to this 
service, even to hint at all the false principles which 
are current in the world, and dangerous to youth. I 
shall attempt no more, and indeed, no more seems to me 
necessary, than to lay down, very briefly, the leading 
parts of the revealed system of moral and religious 
principle and practice ; and to mention, cursorily, as I 

* Sec note G at the end of the volume. 



DISCOURSE IV* 89 

proceed, some of the chief errors to which it is opposed; 
The whole discussion will he conducted with a special 
view to the benefit of the youth of this institution, and 
particularly of those who are on the point of leaving it ; 
and yet, from the nature of the subject, much that will 
be said, will be equally applicable to hearers of every 
age and condition in life. 

In the prosecution of my design, thus explained, I shall 
endeavour to show, I. What must be the origin, or vi- 
tal principle, of the temper and practice of the young 
man, who would cleanse and take heed to his way, ac- 
cording to the word of God. IL The manner in which 
he must receive that word, and be taught and governed 
by it. III. How he must estimate and perform the 
several duties which he owes to God, to himself, and to 
his fellow men. IV. The means he must use to secure 
an effectual attention to his duty, and steadfastness in its 
performance; 

L The temper and practice of the young man,) 
who would cleanse and take heed to his way, according 
to the word of God, must have their origin, or vital 
principle, in the renovation of his heart and nature. 
That man is by nature wholly depraved and prone to 
evil, and that, therefore, he must be renewed in the 
spirit of his mind, before he can be morally pure in the 
sight of God, or truly love and serve him, is a doctrine 
taught, or implied, in every part of the bible* The 
written word of God, in the time of the Psalmist^ 

could not have consisted of more than the Pentateuch'^ 

N 



90 DISCOURSE IV. 

or five books of Moses, the book of Job, perhaps the 
books of Joshua and Judges, and some of his own inspi- 
red Psalms. But even in this small portion of the sa- 
cred volume — small indeed, hi comparison with that 
which it is our happy lot to possess — the doctrine of 
man's natural depravity, and consequent need of reno- 
vation, might easily be learned. Of those who lived 
before the general deluge, Moses had recorded, that 
u the wickedness of man was great in the earth, 
and that every imagination of the thoughts of his 
heart w r as only evil continually" — implying, not only 
that his conduct was impious, but that his nature was 
radically corrupt, In the book of Job, if that book was 
then extant, it had been written " What is man that 
he should be clean, and he which is born of a woman 
that he should be righteous? Who can bring a clean 
thing out of an unclean ? not one. 7 ' The Psalmist him- 
self, it is plain, had fully learned this doctrine, that 
man is deeply polluted in his moral powers, and that he 
Beeds the omnipotent energies of divine grace to cleanse 
"him. Of this there is abundant evidence in various 
parts of his writings, particularly in the 51st psalm; 
in which, after tracing the dreadful guilt with which 
his conscience was then burthened to the seat of it, in 
a corrupt nature, he fervently prays — " Create in 
me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit 
within me." There is, also, the best reason to believe 
that the primary and essential part of the cleansing of 
which he speaks in the text, was, in his view of it, to 



DISCOURSE IV. 91 



take place in the heart, naturally so corrupt and denied $ 
that thus, the fountain being purged, the streams that 
flow from it might also be pure. 

In the New Testament, this truth, like most other 
revealed truths, is taught with greater fulness and clear- 
ness than in the old. " Either make the tree good and 
his fruit good ; or else make the tree corrupt and his 
fruit corrupt ; for the tree is known by his fruit. A 
good man, out of the good treasure of his heart bring- 
eth forth good things ; and an evil man out of the evil 
treasure bringeth forth evil things. Thou blind Phar- 
isee ! cleanse first that which is within the eup and 
the platter, that the outside of them may "be clean 
also. The sons of God — were born, not of blood, 
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, 
but of God. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except 
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom 
of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and 
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not 
that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. The car- 
nal mind is enmity against God, not subject to the law 
of God, neither indeed can be. If any man be in Christ 
he is a new creature, old things are passed away, 
behold all things are become new." 

In this manner, the abundant and unequivocal lan- 
guage of the New Testament teaches that man is de- 
praved throughout ; that none of the race escapes the 
dreadful and deadly contamination ; that the seat of it 
is the heart; and therefore that the work of cleansing 



92 DISCOURSE IT. 

must begin here ; that no external rites nor mere hu* 
man efforts, will ever effect it, but that we must look 
for its performance to the power and Spirit of God. 

The friends and advocates of false and imperfect sys- 
tems of religion and morals always hate, and often bit- 
terly oppose this doctrine. But it is, as we have 
seen, a part of the truth of God ; and observation 
and the history of the world tend to illustrate and en- 
force it powerfully. Yes, my young friends, a renewed 
heart, js the vital spring of all genuine piety and true 
christian practice ; as well as the most sure and solid 
basis of pure morals. To attempt to make a man truly 
good without this inward cleansing, is like endeavour- 
ing to make a bad tree bear good fruit ; or like at- 
tempting to purify the streams which constantly flow 
from a polluted fountain. 

Remember, then, that if you would effectually cleanse 
your way, and take heed to it according to the word of 
God, you must seek the grace and aid of his Holy 
Spirit, to transform your hearts, and implant there the 
living principle of holiness ; as that which is essential 
to a life conformed in all things to his revealed will. 
Never forget that, not only an outward, but an inward 
purity is necessary ; that, not only reformation, but re- 
generation, is indispensable ; that, without a cordial love 
to the law of God, its outward observance will always 
be constrained and irksome ; that obedience to it never 
can be pleasing, thorough and lasting ; nay, that, in the 
sjght of God, it never can be real or acceptable ; for it 



DISCOURSE IV. 93 

is the heart that the heart- searching God always regards. 
Keep in mind that a new and clean heart is the source 
of all evangelical repentance for sin $ of all genuine 
and saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ ; of all the 
graces of the Spirit ; and of all the best and most pow- 
erful springs of moral action, and christian deportment, 
— of a blameless, amiable, exemplary and useful life. 

II. The man who takes heed to his way according 
to the word of God, must receive that word as his 
standard of duty and action in all things 5 and adhere 
to it, in opposition to all contravening opinions, author- 
ity, or example. This position is but a varied expres- 
sion of the leading yiea held forth in the text ; and yet 
no individual will act in full accordance with it, who is 
altogether a stranger to that great change of which I 
have just spoken, and with which, therefore, it was ne^ 
cessary to begin. But he in whose heart the fountain 
of depravity has been healed, will, with readiness and 
pleasure, make revealed truth, in very deed, " the man 
of his counsel," and the guide of his life. He will be * 
able to say with the penman of the text — u The judg- 
ments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether : 
more to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much 
fine gold ; sweeter also than honey and the honey comb : 
thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsel- 
lors." A book which both interests and instructs us 
we commonly read rapidly, carefully, and repeatedly. 
Such a book will the bible always be, to the man in 
whom the work of sanctification is begun. Hence he 



$4 DISCOURSE IV. 

'will speedily become familiar with its contents, and will 
well understand its leading doctrines and precepts. He 
will thus have his criterion of truth, and rule of duty 
always at hand, and ready to be applied as circumstan- 
ces may require ; will be furnished with a directory for 
himself, and will be able to bring all questionable prin- 
ciples and practices to an infallible test. 

The man we contemplate, will make a vigorous use of 
his reason to ascertain, and, as far as he can, to com- 
prehend and explain what the scripture teaches; but 
he will never think it a proper exercise of his reason 
to controvert, oppose, or modify, any thing that it 
teaches. 

There are, my young friends, two great inquiries, 
relative to matters of religion, into which all others 
may be resolved. The first is — Are the scriptures the 
word of God ? The second — What do the scriptures 
teach f* We are to make the best use of our reason, 
of which we are capable, to answer both these inquiries. 
" Reason," remarks one who had examined this subject 
deeply and accurately, u Reason is, primarily, no more 
than the test or touchstone of evidence ; and in a secon- 
dary sense only the standard of truth"f Reason must 
pronounce that to be true, or false, which the compe- 
tent evidence proves to be the one or the other. If, in 
the present case, reason, after fully and candidly exam- 
ining the evidence — evidence drawn from every source— 

* See note G at the end of the volume, 
s Doctor George Campbell. 



DISCOURSE IV* 95 

decide that there is not ground to believe that the scrip- 
tures are the word of God, then they have no authority 
whatsoever, more than other human productions. But 
if, on the contrary, the evidence is found to be irresist- 
ibly conclusive, that the scriptures are the word of God, 
reason, having ascertained this, cannot legitimately con- 
trovert that word for a single moment; but must take 
it exactly as it is ; must labour to understand and ex- 
plain it, as far as practicable ; and when she can go na 
farther, must reverently submit her powers to the au- 
thority of God. In a word, the proper office of reason 
here, is precisely the same that it is in relation to all 
the other inscrutable works and ways of God, which, 
indeed, are very numerous. She is to take facts as she 
finds them, explain and harmonize them as far as she 
can ; and when she can do no more, fairly acknowledge 
her ignorance or weakness ; and wait for more light 
in this world, or for more strength in the world to come 5 
recollecting, that at last, and to all eternity, finite rea- 
son, or intellect, will never be able to comprehend more 
than a little, comparatively a very little, of that which 
is infinite. To act differently from this is manifestly 
to act most irrationally and impiously ; for it is, in the 
indulgence of a proud and self-sufficient spirit, to follow 
the uncertain guidance of that twinkling ray of intellect 
which our Maker has given us ; in preference to the 
unerring guidance of that infinite fountain of intellectual 
light, of which He is the source and centre, and from 
which our feeble beam of reason has been derived. 



9fe TJISrOTTRSF IVi 

Can we be more certain of any thing, than we are> 
that what God says must be true ? and do we not know, 
by much sad experience, that the conclusions of our 
own reason are not always true ; that they are often 
erroneous and delusive ? Is it not then; I ask — all duty 
apart — is it not one of the plainest dictates of reason 
itself, always to trust God in any thing that he has re- 
vealed, rather than to trust ourselves, in any reasoning 
against it ? 

Reason dictates, too, that we should be deeply grate- 1 
ful to God, that he has not left us, as the wisest of the 
heathen were left, to wander in endless uncertainty, in 
regard to religious truth and duty ; but has told us 
plainly in his infallible word, what is truth, and what 
is duty. Are there some things in that word the conp 
prehension of which transcends our powers ? That very 
circumstance goes to show that the word of God is 
like all his other works, and by doing so, increases its 
credibility. " Unsearchableness to human faculties," says 
the same able writer, already referred to, " is a sort of 
signature, impressed on the works of the Most High 5 
and which, when found in any thing attested as from 
him, ought to be held at least a presumption in favour 
of the testimony." 

It is, therefore, no objection to the humble christian, 
but the contrary, that he cannot fully explain, or com- 
prehend, how it is, that in the perfect unity of the 
divine essence, there are three distinctions, usually de^ 
nominated persons — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 



DISCOURSE IV* 97 

He receives this truth, without difficulty or hesitation) 
because he finds it unquestionably taught by the word 
of God ; and he applies it to the great and important 
practical purposes to which that word directs him to 
apply it. For the same reason he believes that the 
divine and human natures were united in Jesus Christ \ 
and on this, as the gospel teaches, he founds the med- 
iatorial character of the Saviour ; and the great doc- 
trines of his atonement for sin, and the justification of 
all true believers, by the imputation of his righteous^ 
ness. He delights exceedingly to observe that the gos^ 
pel, manifestly considering the Redeemer as God, as 
well as man, abounds in representations of Him as oiii^ 
nipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent ; always with his 
people ; always protecting them ; always helping them j 
ready to sustain them even in their dying hour ;-~to take 
them to his blissful presence ; to raise their bodies at 
the last day ; to acquit them in the final judgment ; and 
to receive them, glorified in body and sou|, to share 
with Himself the endless and ineffable bliss of the heav- 
enly state. 

Once more ; it is no stumbling block t6 him who 
takes revealed truth exactly as he finds it, that he is 
not able fully to explain the connexion which subsists^ 
between the perfect freedom and accountableness of hlaii$ 
and the absolute sovereignty of the grace and provi- 
dence of God. He will find, upon due examination, 
that there is a depth in this subject, as in many others, 

which he cannot fathom ; and into which, therefore he 

O 



98 DISCOURSE IV. 

must adventure with caution, and beware not to pro- 
ceed too far. His principal concern will be to under- 
stand what is practical ; and this, with the right tem- 
per of mind which he possesses, he will not find diffi- 
cult. He will not want arguments to convince him 
that he is a free and accountable creature, because he 
is conscious of it — he feels that he is so ; and because 
he perceives that the scriptures continually suppose it, 
and that the whole organization and arrangements of 
human society are, and must be, built upon it, as a con- 
ceded, or self-evident truth. At the same time, his own 
experience, as well as the unerring word, will teach him, 
that he is entirely dependent on divine grace, for every 
right and holy exercise of his mind ; and for strength 
and ability properly to discharge every duty. He can 
cordially subscribe to the apostle's declarations — " By 
grace ye are saved, through faith, and that not of your- 
selves, it is the gift of God. Not that we are sufficient 
of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our 
sufficiency is of God." Let others, then, explain this 
subject as they like, or lose themselves in it, as they 
often do ; or let his own speculations on it be what they 
may, still he has for practice, which he chiefly regards, 
a plain and satisfactory rule of duty — a rule dictated by 
common sense and experience, and sanctioned by the 
word of God, namely, that he is entirely responsible for 
all his voluntary actions, thoughts and desires ; and that 
he is to look to God, sensible of an entire dependence on 



DISCOURSE IV. 99 

him, for grace and assistance to think, and will, and act 
aright, at all times and in every duty. 

In regard to the providence of God, he is fully per- 
suaded that all events past, present and to come, have 
been, are, and will be, perfectly subject to its direction 
or control ; and yet, as in the former case, he doubts 
not that all moral beings ever have been, and ever will 
be, as fully and justly accountable for their conduct, as 
if this providence could be supposed not to exist. 

It deserves particular notice, that he who takes the 
plain word of God for his guide, never can adopt or 
think favourably, of that half atheistical notion, that the 
divine providence is nothing more than some general 
ordering of the laws of nature, or the destinies of na- 
tions ; so that many things fall out, in the affairs both 
of communities and individuals, without any special 
direction, control or care of the Deity ; many things, 
in a word, that must be attributed to accident or chance. 
No truly ; he believes, and it is delightful for him to 
believe, that in regard to this matter, there is no such 
thing as accident or chance. That every thing, whether 
great or small, is ordered or permitted by God ; that 
" in God he lives and moves and has his being ;" that 
" the hairs of his head are all numbered ;" and that u a 
sparrow falleth not to the ground without his Heavenly 
Father." Here is the stable foundation of his habitual 
trust in God ; and here is his encouragement to pray 
for providential protection and favours, both for himself 
and others. 



10Q DISCOURSE IV. 

Thus, I hope, it appears — for I am solicitous that 
to you it should appear — -that he who walks simply hy 
the word of God as a rule of duty, does not act blindly, 
or weakly, or irrationally, as is sometimes supposed and 
said ; but, on the contrary, that he, of all men, makes 
the most proper use of reason in matters of religion. 

But, in closing this part of the subject, I must distinct- 
ly remind you, though the thought has several times 
been hinted, that, with the man we contemplate, relig* 
ion, in all its parts, is ever a practical, more than a 
speculative subject. He studies it, and examines it, 
and thinks on it, always with a view to practice. He 
labours to ascertain the truth that he may conform his 
heart and his life to its dictates ; and he is much em- 
ployed in endeavouring to render this conformity more 
and more exact ; more advanced towards that perfec- 
tion after which he aspires, but which he expects not 
to reach, till u mortality shall be swallowed up of life/ 3 

We must also particularly remark, that the man who 
learns from the bible the importance of piety, will learn 
from the same source, in what manner its spirit is to be 
regulated, and its duties performed. Hence he will 
avoid formality? on the one hand ; and fanaticism on 
the other. Formality leaves the heart out of the exer- 
cises of religion ; and makes the whole to cpnsist in 
intellectual attainments and exterior observances. Fa- 
naticism indulges the affections and the imagination, to 
the neglect and violation of reason, decorum and the 
word of God. But he who in all things endeavours to 



DISCOURSE IV. 101 

keep close to that word, will rigorously subject his fancy 
and his feelings to its prescriptions, and at the same 
time earnestly strive to serve his Maker in spirit and in 
truth. While his heart is in all his religious exercises 
and duties, his understanding, enlightened and directed 
by scripture, will never permit him to exceed those 
bounds of fervency which scriptural example and instruc- 
tion clearly warrant ; nor will it ever suffer him to lis- 
ten to any pretensions of new revelations from others, 
nor to expect, nor even desire them for himself. All 
the revelation that he admits is in his Bible. This he 
holds sacred and holds fast, without suffering any ad- 
dition to it, or diminution of it. By this he tries himself 
and tries others ; his state toward God ; the exercises, 
views, suggestions, workings or feelings of his own 
mind ; and all that, on the subjects of religion and mor- 
als, he either reads in books, or hears from human lips. 

III. Let us now consider, more directly and fully, how 
this man will estimate and perform the several duties 
which he owes to God, to himself, and to his fellow men. 

1. He will be attentive to the right order and relative 
importance of his various duties, and be careful to place 
in the first rank those which he owes immediately to 
God. The order and relative importance of our seve- 
ral duties, is a matter of far greater moment than seems 
commonly to be apprehended. False and imperfect 
systems of religion and morals, usually dwell much on 
what men owe to themselves, and to each other ; and 
very little comparatively, on what they owe to God. 



102 DISCOURSE IV. 

It is their favourite representation, indeed, that our 
Maker is, in general, best served by taking care of our- 
selves, and by doing good to his creatures. Now, in 
this there is something extremely specious, and yet en- 
tirely fallacious. The error may, perhaps, be best ex- 
posed by remarking, that, while we readily and fully 
admit, that to consult our own true happiness, and that 
of our brethren of mankind, constitutes, indeed, an im- 
portant part of our duty to God himself, since He has 
commanded us to do so ; yet that it can be shown, both 
from reason and experience, that those are most likely 
to be eminent examples of personal and social duty, 
who are most sensible of what they owe immediately to 
their Maker ; who are most exact and fervent in their 
worship of Him, and most employed in holy communion 
with Him. It is certainly natural and reasonable to 
expect that they who by habitual intercourse with the 
Father of their spirits, become, as they evidently must 
become, most impressed with a sense of his universal 
presence, of his glorious majesty and supreme authority, 
of his boundless goodness and infinite amiableness, 
should be most exact and active in obeying all his com- 
mandments, and among the rest those which require 
them to " make their light shine before men, and to do 
good and communicate. 5 ' Or if the appeal be made to 
experience, we may safely challenge any opponent to 
point us to higher and better examples of excellence in 
personal character, and of active devotedness to doing 



DISCOURSE IV. 103 

good to mankind, than have appeared among men of 
eminent piety. 

In giving rank and consequence, therefore, to his 
several duties, he who walks by the word of God as his 
rule, will carefully follow the example which the Deity 
himself has set in the Decalogue, and which our Saviour 
regarded in declaring which was the first and greatest 
commandment. His duties to his Maker will have the 
first place in order and importance. Piety to God he 
will consider as the leading and essential part of his 
moral system, and as affording the best security for a 
sacred regard to every other. 

It is not my intention, however, to extend the present 
discussion to a particular enumeration and explana- 
tion of the duties which we owe immediately to God. 
Some of them will necessarily claim our attention, while 
speaking of the duties which we owe to ourselves and 
to each other. But it will be observed, that almost the 
whole of what has been said relates to the duties which 
we owe to God ; so that supposing what has been stated 
to be reduced to practice, a farther specification is not 
important. Suppose a man to be renewed in the temper 
of his mind ; to have obtained a familiar acquaintance 
with the scriptures ; to regard and be governed by them 
in the manner that has been described ; to hold the fun- 
damental doctrines which have been mentioned ; and to 
consider his duties to God as primary in their obliga- 
tion, and importance ; and he can neither be ignorant of 



104 DISCOURSE IV. 

these duties, nor of the manner in which they may be ac- 
ceptably and profitably performed. 

Of modes and forms of worship, and of church order, 
it is neither my duty nor my inclination to speak on this 
occasion. Yet I must not forbear to remind you, that 
it is a gross and pernicious error to suppose, that all 
who may call themselves christians, hold every thing that 
is essential to Christianity. Li the christian system there 
are essential doctrines and essential duties ; so that 
whoever deliberately denies the one, or habitually 
violates or neglects the other, is utterly unworthy of the 
christiaifUiame. But there are several forms of chris- 
tian worship and church order, which are so far from 
being essential, that men of perhaps equal holiness of 
heart and life have differed widely, in making a choice 
among them. In regard to these, I have only to say, 
examine them carefully and candidly for yourselves, and 
6i let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." 

Having already protracted this discourse to as great 
a length as is customary in this place, the consideration 
of the duties which we owe to ourselves and to each oth- 
er, must be delayed, till the usual hour of worship in the 
afternoon. In the mean time, meditate on what you have 
heard ; and may the Spirit of grace seal his own truth 
on each of our hearts ! Amen. 



DISCOURSE V. 



THE WORD OF GOD THE GUIDE OF YOUTH. 



PSALM CXIX. 9. 

<4 IVJierewithal shall a young man cleanse his way ? By 
taking heed thereto according to thy xvordP 

AN discoursing on this text of sacred scripture, it has 
heen proposed to show — 

L What must be the origin or vital principle of the 
temper and practice of the young man, who would 
cleanse and take heed to his way, according to the word 
of God. 

II. The manner in which he must receive that word? 
and be taught and governed by it. 

III. How he must estimate and perform the several 
duties which he owes to God, to himself, and to his 
fellow men. 

IV. The means he must use to secure an effectual 
attention to his duty, and steadfastness in its perform- 
ance. 

On the two former of these heads of discourse the 
discussion was finished in the morning. We also enter- 
ed on the consideration of the third : and here, as the 
first thing demanding attention, I endeavoured to show, 
that the young man who would take heed to his way, 



106 DISCOURSE V. 

according to the divine word, must be careful to make a 
right estimate of the relative importance of his various 
duties, and to place in the first rank those which re- 
late immediately to God. We are now 

2. To consider those which he owes to himself and 
to his fellow men. 

The duties which men owe to themselves, 'and to each 
other, are, in many cases, so intimately blended togeth- 
er, that to attempt to give them an entirely separate 
treatment might produce both obscurity and repetition. 
We will endeavour to take them in such order as shall 
seem most favourable to clearness and utility. 

I begin with stating, that the young man who takes 
heed to his way according to the word of God will cher- 
ish a sacred and inviolable regard to truth. The obli- 
gations of truth in general are admitted by all, and 
the notorious violator of it never fails to be reckoned 
infamous. No character is more universally detested 
and despised than that of the liar ; and hence no ofFence 
is reckoned more intolerable than the imputation of 
this character. This notwithstanding, loose moralists 
are usually found to j*elax, in many instances the obli- 
gation of truth. Courteous falsehoods^ jocular false- 
hoods, humane falsehoods, temporary falsehoods, and if 
the expression be not a solecism, useful falsehoods, they 
do not condemn, but often justify, Not one of these, 
however, will find a justification in the word of that 
God whose character it is, that he cannot and will not 
lie. Without doubt the degrees of guilt involved in 



DISCOURSE V. 107 

.different acts and kinds of falsehood are widely differ- 
ent ; and it must be admitted that there are some nice 
and difficult points which may be stated in relation to 
this subject. But those who found virtue on the nature 
and will of God cannot, after all, admit the innocence of 
intentional falsehood in any case whatever. And in- 
deed if the obligation to regard truth be derived from 
utility alone, this will dictate an invariable adherence 
to it. Such an adherence will not only most effectually 
secure peace of conscience and inward quiet, but will 
also contribute greatly to give weight and respectability 
to the whole character ; and thus to increase the capa- 
city for usefulness in him who exhibits it. 

Integrity is closely connected with truth. Often, in- 
deed, integrity is nothing else than action conformed to the 
dictates and obligation of truth. The man who habit- 
ually lives and acts under a sense of the divine inspec- 
tion, and in the expectation of giving an account to 
God for all his actions, cannot fail to be upright. He 
will avoid all guile, and fraud, and unfaithfulness, and 
dishonesty, whatever prospect of gain may tempt him 
to practice them 5 or however much he may have it in 
his power, should he yield to temptation, to escape 
shame, or punishment, or the loss of character, from 
his fellow men. His inquiry will always be, how can I 
answer, in this concern, to my conscience, and to the 
all seeing God ? not, what colour can I give it ? or 
what defence can I make for it, before the world ? Hence 
he will be scrupulously just in all his dealings and 



108 DISCOURSE T. 

transactions with others. He will walk strictly by the 
rule of doing as he would be done by. He will be 
much more afraid of doing wrong, than of suffering 
wrong. You may trust, him without reserve. He will 
never take an advantage of you, because he can do it 
secretly or safely. All his contr acts he holds sacred, 
and fulfils them in their true intention, as well when 
the law cannot touch him, as when it can. He punctu- 
ally performs all his promises and engagements. He 
ranks the demands of justice, before those of mercy, or 
liberality, and is therefore just before he is generous. 
Money that he owes, he never considers as his own. 
Money that is entrusted to his keeping, he feels no lib- 
erty, without the consent of the owner, to apply, in any 
way or degree, to his own benefit. In dubious matters 
he always endeavours, as far as possible, to keep on 
safe ground— knowing that, to a prudent man, it is 
much to be safe ; and that to an upright conscientious 
man, it is much to be without fear or suspicion that he 
has done wrong. He discharges every official duty, 
and performs every professional service, and executes 
every public and private trust, diligently, faithfully^ 
seasonably and fully ; as " doing it to the Lord, and 
not to man," Characters like this are indeed rare; 
but he who takes heed to his way according to the 
word of God, will demonstrate that such a character 
is not always imaginary, fie will exhibit it in 
himself, 



DISCOURSE V. 109 

Farther ; the man who makes the word of God his 
guide, will unite a steadfast adherence to what he 
believes to be truth and duty, with the exercise of 
candour and charity toward those who differ from him. 
We are commanded « to buy the truth and sell it not ; 
also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. " We 
are exhorted " earnestly to contend for the faith which 
was once delivered to the saints." He who is obedient 
to these injunctions of scripture, never can admit that 
intellectual error is always innocent; that it is no matter 
what a man believes if his life be good ; that any system 
of religious opinions which a man honestly holds, must 
be safe for him, and many sentiments of a kindred spirit 
with these. If these notions were just, it would be of 
comparatively little importance to discover truth or to em- 
brace it 5 to contend for it would be folly ; and to search 
much after it would be useless trouble. But the notions 
in question contravene, not merely particular passages, 
but the whole scope and spirit of scripture, which go to 
teach us the infinite importance of true religion, in op- 
position to that which is false and delusive. He, there- 
fore, who is governed by scripture can yield to no such 
opinions as these, whatever currency they may obtain, 
or by whatever imposing appellation they may be dis- 
tinguished. He will neither adopt these opinions, nor 
act so as to have it understood that he considers those 
who have embraced radical errors as being in a good 
and safe state. He cannot do this. Do you ask, then, 
in what respects his candour and charity will manifest 



110 DISCOURSE V. 

themselves ? I answer ; he will recollect that, although 
there are essential errors, yet that all error is not es- 
sential ; he will make therefore the due allowance for 
what is invincible and involuntary, and of small compar- 
ative importance ; for that also which is fairly imputa- 
ble to education and to prejudice. Those who err 
through temptation, or any circumstances calculated to 
lead them astray, he will regard with compassion and 
treat with lenity. He will never contend about trifles. 
He will cordially embrace in his christian charity all 
who appear to hold the essentials of religion, and to 
love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and 
truth. He will even mourn for the divisions that exist 
among christians of this character, and do all that he 
can to heal them. And toward those who hold the 
most destructive errors, he will be careful to guard 
against all bitterness of spirit ; all unchristian temper 
and language in his treatment of them. As he will not 
hate them, nor wish evil to them, he will show them 
every civility and kind attention which he can, consist- 
ently with steadfastness in duty ; so that it shall be 
manifest that he differs from them on principle and 
with regret ; and would be glad to see them renounce 
their errors, and take such ground as would permit 
him to receive and treat them as brethren. It is thus 
that he will unite inflexible attachment to essential 
truth, with the candour and charity which the gospel 
requires. 



DISCOURSE T. Ill 

Again ; he who is careful to cleanse his way accord- 
ing to the word of God, will most vigilantly guard him- 
self against those "fleshly lasts that war against the 
soidP " Flee youthful lusts," is the apostolick injunc- 
tion delivered to a young man ; and he who makes the 
word of God his rule of action will regard it as strictly 
binding on the conscience. Though corrupted nature, 
therefore, plead for licentious indulgence ; though youth 
he the season when temptations to it are the strongest ; 
though fashionable opinion attach little or no infamy to 
such indulgence ; though even the sneer and ridicule of 
the licentious themselves must be borne by him who 
scruples it; still, he whom we contemplate will say, 
with a young man of old, " how can I do this great 
wickedness, and sin against God !" He will, therefore, 
shun the places, the amusements, the visible objects, 
the company and conversation, the books, and even the 
cherishing of those imaginations, which put his chastity 
and personal purity at hazard. Agreeably to the Apos- 
tolick precept already recited, he will literally flee from 
all temptations which assail him on this quarter. Some 
vices may be boldly met, contended with, and con- 
quered ; but from all provocatives of impure desire and 
indulgence, safety is to be sought, whenever it is prac- 
ticable, by flight. 

Again ; no one who takes the scriptures for a rule 
of life can indulge in idleness. It is so reproachful to 
those who bear the christian name, that when the 
church was gathered from amongst the heathen, the 



112 DISCOURSE V. 

apostle Paul gave commandment, that if any man would 
not work neither should he eat. No human being is 
entitled to be idle. His Maker has given him faculties 
which he is bound assiduously to cultivate, and appoint- 
ed him duties, for the diligent performance of which he 
is strictly responsible. Society also has claims on 
all its members, from which no individual can plead 
an exemption. But, though idleness is criminal at any 
period of life, it is peculiarly so in youth. This is the 
period which specially calls for improvement and exer- 
tion, because, if neglected now, the neglect can never 
afterwards be fully repaired. Every subsequent peri- 
od will have duties and demands of its own to fill it up : 
and if we have to prepare for action when we ought to 
be in action, we sustain a certain loss : we accomplish 
less than we ought to have accomplished, and we lose 
advantages which may never again occur. 

All our faculties, moreover, become torpid by disuse 
and inaction. If this takes place in youth, it often 
proves entirely fatal to all improvement, usefulness, or 
respect : the idle youth becomes in manhood, a useless 
and contemptible drone. Generally, indeed, the event 
is even worse than this. Idleness is the inlet of every 
vice. Into the unoccupied mind every temptation 
easily enters, and seldom solicits in vain. The youth, 
therefore, who takes heed to his way according to the 
word of God, will never think it innocent to be idle. 
He will view his time as one of the most precious talents 
with which God has intrusted him, and he will occupy 



DISCOURSE V. 113 

with it unceasingly. He will make conscience of being 
diligently employed. He will beware, too, of a kind of 
busy idleness : that is, he will not only be always 
doing something, but something that will turn to account. 
He will be diligent in his proper employment, in ac- 
quiring the knowledge, the ability, the preparation, 
which his profession in life will require ; or which will 
qualify him for the greatest usefulness in that sphere 
of life in which he expects to act. 

Again ; the young man who takes the word of God 
for his rule, will feel himself bound to withstand the 
dictates of malignant and vindictive passions, and to 
cultivate those of an opposite character. Envy, and 
anger, and malevolence, and revenge, he will never 
allow to harbour in his bosom. A false maxim of 
the world may tell him that " revenge is sweet," and 
false honour may require that he should take personal 
vengeance for every insult. But the gospel will have 
taught him that forgiveness is sweet ; that it is a duty 
which he who refuses to perform, forfeits his hope of 
salvation ; that he is not to return evil for evil ; that 
he is to love and pray for his enemies ; and that u ven- 
geance belongeth unto God." He will, therefore, never 
be a duellist, whatever may be the consequences of re- 
fusing a challenge. The law of God is, with him, para- 
mount to the laws of false honour — I say of false honour : 
for the law of God and genuine honour can never mil- 
itate. And that surely must be false honour which 

requires a man, not only to disobev his Maker, but to 

Q 



114 DISCOURSE V. 

act in violation of the fundamental principles of society 5 
in a manner, too, which often destroys forever the peace 
of him, who, in the horrible practice alluded to, kills his 
neighbour ; and which frequently also, inflicts the most 
grievous and incurable anguish, and sometimes poverty 
and helpless wretchedness, on the innocent, amiable, 
and virtuous relatives of him who has fallen. Assur- 
edly the man who takes heed to his way according 
to the word of God, can bear any thing that he may 
suffer with innocence, rather than incur the guilt and 
remorse which he must incur, by making himself respon- 
sible for such dreadful evils. But let a man act with 
entire consistency ; let him show himself a christian in 
his whole temper and deportment ; and he may decline 
peremptorily the murderous practice of duelling, with- 
out any real loss of character. The men of false hon- 
our cannot, if they try, make him infamous. With the 
exception of the most abandoned, they will themselves 
secretly respect and venerate him ; and the love and 
applause of the good and pious he will certainly secure. 
Nothing is more erroneous that to suppose than forbear- 
ance, forgiveness, meekness, gentleness and courtesy, 
are not consistent with the most genuine magnanimity. 
They are not only consistent with it, but they are its 
best support and its brightest ornament — In accordance 
with this, 

I observe farther; that the young man who takes 
heed to his way according to the word of God, will aim 
to be distinguished for even/ excellent and praise-worthy 



DISCOURSE V. 115 

attainment. Nothing is more injurious to ingenu- 
ous youth, than to imbibe the notion, that fervent 
piety is inconsistent with aiming at distinction in intel- 
lectual improvement, and honourable action. The ene- 
mies of religion are fond of inculcating this notion, but 
observe how the language of inspiration exposes its fal- 
lacy — " Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things 
are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever 
things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatso- 
ever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, 
and if there be any praise, think on these things." 
What can any mind, influenced by a laudable emulation, 
desire more than this ? What can it desire more than 
to aspire after all that is virtuous, and all that is worthy 
of praise ? 

The error on this subject may sometimes arise from 
the circumstance, that the gospel gives no countenance 
to that idolatry of fame and distinction, so often observ- 
ed in mere worldly men, and which they sometimes 
openly avow. The gospel teaches us to make the glory 
of God and the good of his creatures the object of su- 
preme regard ; and that to these we must be willing to 
sacrifice every thing that comes in competition, even 
character and life itself. Now, as this is a requisition 
evidently reasonable in itself, so, I affirm, that it is one 
which points to an act of the most genuine magnanimity. 
It has been well said, that i( nothing is truly great, the 
contempt of which is great." But, the slave of human 
opinion is always reckoned a despicable character 5 and 



116 DISCOURSE V. 

to rise superior to that opinion, however general, when 
it is manifestly wrong, as it is in the case contemplated, 
is the act and evidence of a truly great and elevated mind. 
And it is precisely this, which is required of the chris- 
tian. But his rule of duty is, as we have seen, not hos- 
tile, but friendly and favourable, to all the habits, and 
all the exertions, which lead to high attainments in eve- 
ry thing excellent. Accordingly we find, in fact, that 
men of distinguished piety have often held the highest 
rank in literature and science, and in every honourable, 
trust and employment. He, therefore, who takes the 
word of God as his rule, will find himself not only per- 
mitted but required, to cultivate his faculties with con- 
stant diligence, and to aim steadily and vigorously at 
the best attainments of which he is capable, that he 
may be prepared to serve God and his generation with 
the greatest effect, and the best title to reputation. He 
who thinks or acts otherwise, mistakes his christian 
duty, as much as he mistakes what is conducive to his 
interest or advantageous to his character. 

This leads me to remark, farther, that the young man 
who takes the word of God for his rule of duty, will learn 
that he is bound to devote himself to the promotion of the 
best interests of mankind. We have already glanced at 
this ; but it is a point which ought to be made prominent. 

The example of Christ should be carefully stud- 
ied and copied by all his disciples. He was the liv- 
ing Word of God ; and the pious and elegant Home 
seems to intimate that He is distinctly referred to in 



DISCOURSE V. 117 

the text. " He," says Home, u who became man 
for our salvation, passed through this state of youth 
undented ; that he might, as it were, reclaim and con- 
secrate it anew to God. Let every young man often 
meditate on this circumstance." 

To set us a perfect example was not, I apprehend, 
the only, nor the chief purpose, of our Lord's appear- 
ance in the flesh. Yet it was, doubtless, one purpose, 
and an important one. Now, this example, as it was 
exhibited in the active part of our Saviour's life, is thus 
epitomized by an inspired speaker — " He went about 
doing good." This, too, was eminently characteristic 
of his apostles, after his death ; and it must, in their 
proper measure, characterize his sincere followers, in 
every age. I take it, indeed, to be one distinguishing 
feature of the Bible system of ethicks, that it inculcates 
a benevolence warmer, purer, more active, and more 
extensive than any other system. The influence of the 
gospel has abated the ferocity of war, and filled Chris- 
tendom with hospitals, poor houses, and charitable asso- 
ciations ; institutions unknown to the most refined na- 
tions of heathen antiquity. In a word, the gospel every 
where breathes a spirit and speaks a language like this — 
" Look not every man on his own things, but every 
man, also, on the things of others. Let this mind be in 
you, which was also in Christ Jesus." The young man, 
therefore, who takes his views of life as here directed, 
will perceive distinctly that his great object in living- 
must be to do good : and this, if he drink deeply into 



118 DISCOURSE V. 

the spirit of the gospel, will be the ruling principle of 
his soul. Fame or reputation may follow him if it will, 
and it often will. But so far from making it the su- 
preme object of his regard, he will be afraid of being 
unduly governed by it ; afraid lest, by too much ming- 
ling with, it should debase, the high and holy motive 
which ought to influence him — a desire to imitate and 
obey his Redeemer, in glorifying God and in doing 
good to man. Feeling strongly this desire, he will 
consult how he may, in every way, most extensively 
promote the best interests of mankind ; how he may 
advance both their spiritual and temporal happiness. 
The result will be a vigorous and persevering activity 
in enderxvouring to extend the blessings of the gospel ; 
to promote learning and science; to aid all charitable 
designs, and humane and benevolent enterprises and 
institutions ; to ameliorate the condition of as many of 
his fellow creatures as possible ; — of a few, if not of 
many ; — of one, if not of more. 

It seems scarcely necessary to guard what I have 
just said by remarking, that an ardent desire to pro- 
mote the welfare of mankind at large, ought never to in- 
terfere with the reasonable claims of those who are more 
nearly connected with us. Till these claims have been 
fairly satisfied, or provided for, we are certainly not 
permitted to indulge in a diffusive liberality. He who 
is devoted to doing good, must never neglect to make a 
suitable provision for himself, for his family, and for all 
who are dependent on him, or who have a right to look 



DISCOURSE V. 119 

fco him for support or assistance. These have been 
placed by the God of providence more immediately 
under his care ; and it is by benefiting them, by promo- 
ting as far as possible their temporal and eternal well 
being, that a large and essential part of the good, which 
he can ever do in the world, must be done. And if 
every man would take effectual care of his own family, 
and do all that he might in the several smaller depart- 
ments of society in which he has most influence, the 
demand for general beneficence would be greatly 
diminished. This is worthy of remembrance. But, in 
truth, there is comparatively little danger that a man 
will not reserve a sufficient portion of his property for 
the use of himself and his kindred. Almost the whole 
danger is of the other extreme — that he will be selfish, 
covetous and contracted. More than a hundred exam- 
amples of this are seen, for one where a man defrauds 
or injures his family by giving too largely to charitable 
objects. The duty that he ozues to his family ', is the 
miser's standing plea for hoarding his wretched pelf. 
But he who takes the Bible for his guide will consider 
himself as the steward of God's bounty in all that he 
possesses ; and he will give no more to his children, or 
relatives, than, in the exercise of his best judgment, he 
verily believes is likely to do them the most good ; to 
make them the best and most useful members of society, 
and the fairest candidates for a heavenly inheritance. 
All the rest, be it little or much, he will, without 
grudging, expend in acts of beneficence ; in propagating 



120 DISCOURSE V. 

true religion ; in promoting good morals ; in enlighten- 
ing the ignorant ; in relieving the sick, the poor and 
the needy; in protecting the helpless; in patronizing 
the worthy ; in succouring the widow and the orphan ; 
in diffusing happiness through every circle, great or 
small, in which he moves and acts : so that the world 
shall he the better for his being in it, and he be prepar- 
ed to leave it without reluctance, whenever he shall be 
called to " enter into the joy of his Lord." 

Thus have I endeavoured to show how the young 
man who takes the divine word as his unerring coun- 
sellor and guide, will estimate and perform the several 
duties which he owes to God, to himself and to his fel- 
low men. Let us now, very briefly consider — 

IV. The means he must use to secure an effectual 
attention to his duty, and steadfastness in its perform- 
ance. 

When a good rule of conduct has been cordially and 
zealously adopted, an important point is gained ; but 
a far more difficult thing is still to be effected, for such 
it will be found, to conform steadily and habitually 
to that rule, and to guard against every seduction 
from it. Here it is, indeed, that in every thing 
which relates to practice the danger of failure is the 
greatest. A young man may sincerely admit both 
the truth and the importance of all that has now been 
said on this subject, and yet his practice may be sadly 
at variance with it, in many particulars. In order actu- 
ally to live as he admits that he ought, and in his 



DISCOURSE V. 121 

deliberate purpose is resolved that he will, he must con- 
stantly and emphatically "take heed." This is un- 
doubtedly implied in the text. When we are directed 
to take heed, there is always an intimation that some 
danger, or inconvenience, or mistake, is to be watched 
against and avoided. To be heedful, is to be attentive, 
cautious, wary, circumspect, vigilant. To be heedless, 
is to be thoughtless, careless, and fearless. He, there- 
fore, who, in the spirit of the text, " takes heed to his 
way," must be deeply sensible that the path of life is 
beset with dangers, snares, and temptations : that he is 
liable to be deceived and seduced from the right course ; 
or to mistake it and depart from it through inattention, 
or because efforts may be required in pursuing it, which 
he will find too painful, and too frequent, for him to 
make. 

In these circumstances, if he expects to pursue " the 
way" of duty steadfastly and successfully, let him daily 
read and ponder that unerring word which he has taken 
for his guide. Let him set before himself the rewards 
and punishments which it exhibits, and yield his mind 
to the hopes and fears which it addresses. Let him 
labour to impress its sacred truths, and maxims, and 
directions deeply on his memory. Let him resolve all 
doubtful points of duty by a recurrence to his infallible 
test. Let him cultivate a sense of his weakness and 
proneness to err, and pray, daily and earnestly, for the 
guidance and the aids of divine grace. Let him fre- 
quently and carefully examine and compare his temper, 

R 



122 DISCOURSE V, 

and his whole conduct, by the standard which he has 
adopted. When he perceives, as he often will per- 
ceive, that he has wandered from the path of duty, or 
come short of its requisitions, let him lay himself 
open, honestly, to the reproof of the divine word. 
Let him humbly and earnestly seek forgiveness, and 
watch and pray against a repetition of his defection or 
offence. Let him be guarded in his whole walk, and 
careful of any unnecessary exposure to temptation. In 
fine, with the word of God imprinted on his memory 
and his heart, let him vigilantly and vigorously exert 
himself to perform his whole duty ; looking for grace 
and strength from on high ; trusting to the providence 
of God to order all his lot in life, and putting himself, 
in daily, solemn acts of devotion, into the divine keep- 
ing and protection. Doing this — though he will never 
be a perfect man, yet he will so walk by the word of 
God as to have an humble confidence before him, and " a 
peace" in his soul " which passeth all understanding." 

My young friends — 

Candidates for the honours of this institution, in the 
ensuing week — 

It had been practicable and easy to address you in a far 
different manner from that which I have adopted in the 
discussion which has just been closed — possibly in a man- 
ner that would have been more acceptable. But at this 
time I did not feel at liberty to choose other ground, than 
that which I have taken. Your religious instruction in this 



DISCOURSE V. 123 

institution has been formally and solemnly committed to 
me. On this occasion I was to finish, as it relates to 
you, the discharge of this sacred trust. To the most of 
you, I shall probably never speak again on the concerns 
of your souls ; — never, perhaps, after the ensuing week, 
meet you again, till I meet you in the final judgment, to 
render our mutual and solemn account ; — I for the man- 
ner in which I shall have endeavoured to lead you to 
God and heaven, and you for the manner in which you 
will have received and improved my counsels and 
warnings. Fearful, indeed, had been my responsibility, 
if I had given you any superficial view of religion and 
morals ; — any other view than that which, according to 
my best judgment, the Bible gives ; and which you 
have now heard imperfectly delineated and explained. 
Your eternal salvation, I verily believe, depends on 
your having such a religion, in the main features of it, 
as I have now pointed out ; evidenced, substantially, by 
such a conduct as you have heard described. Most 
earnestly and tenderly, therefore, I entreat and conjure 
you, to remember what has now been said, and to lay 
it seriously to heart. Suffer not the morning of life to 
pass, without seeking the effectual grace of God, and a 
vital union with Christ, as indispensable to your safety 
and happiness. 

Genius and science sometimes seem as if they invited 
and hastened the approach of the king of terrors. Thus it 
was, you know, in regard to Barratiere, and Beattie, and 
White ; and to their names, might parental partiality be 



124 



DISCOURSE V. 



trusted, I should add another — the name of a son, whom 
I loved too much. That son, a few years ago, stood, ex- 
actly as you do now, to receive the farewell address of 
my eloquent predecessor.* But the speaker and the 
hearer are both gone. The president and the pupil are 
now together in the dust of death. Yes ; and the pres- 
ident and pupils who are now standing face to face, must 
follow them speedily— God only knows how speedily — 
to " the clods of the valley." Father of mercies ! thy 
will be done. Prepare us for thy blissful presence, and 
send for us when thou wilt. 

But, my young friends, not only did the high and 
awful concerns of your souls' eternal welfare dictate this 
address, but a persuasion, also, that what you have 
heard, will, if duly regarded, best promote your happi- 
ness, your improvement, your usefulness, and your hon- 
our in the present life. 

False or formal religion may, I know, bolster up 
the mind in a temporary peace. But, beside the all 
important consideration, that the destructive delusion 
must vanish at death, it is, even for the present 
life, a cold and precarious system. It imparts little 
positive pleasure, and the shocks and trials of life 
often shake it to pieces, scatter it to the winds, and 
leave its wretched victims without a refuge, when they 
need it most. True evangelical piety, at once rational 
and fervent, animates and elevates the soul ; it aifords, 
sometimes, a prelibation on earth of the pleasures of 

* See note H at the end of the volume* 



DISCOURSE V. 125 

heaven ; it often causes its possessor to rejoice even in 
tribulation ; and it gives him, generally, a peace and 
serenity which the vicissitudes of life cannot destroy, 
nor lastingly impair. As, then, you would be happy, 
both here and hereafter, seek happiness in " pure re- 
ligion, and undeiiled before God and the Father." 

In regard to improvement in all that is praiseworthy, 
who is so likely to pursue it steadily and successfully as 
he who adds to the ardent love and desire of it, which 
religion does not forbid, the strong motive of a consci- 
entious discharge of duty ? Yes, my young friends, if 
you conduct your studies on the principles which have 
now been explained, you will consider it as a part of 
the duty you owe to God to improve your time and 
your talents to the utmost. You will certainly show, 
and I am peculiarly desirous that you should show, that 
orthodox principles and fervent piety are not hos- 
tile, but favourable, to the highest and most various 
attainments of science. 

Usefulness, I am sure, will be best of all promoted by 
the system I have been recommending. We are ever 
most likely to reach that which we aim at uniformly and 
vigorously. Now, to be useful and to do good, is, you 
have heard, to be regarded as your great object in 
life. This will certainly gain you reputation, and en- 
sure to you publick approbation and publick trust. 
In our free and happy country, the able man, the man 
of unbending integrity, the benevolent and useful man, 
will always be employed, and placed in publick and con- 



126 DISCOURSE V. 

fidential stations. He will be, at once, the happiest 
man in domestick and social life, and the fairest candi- 
date for his country's honours. 

In a word, the more you examine it, the more you 
will find that the system now laid before you, best con- 
sults your whole interests, both in time and in eternity. 
It is the Bible system — And in hope that what is done 
at this interesting moment of bidding you farewell, may 
impress and remain on your memory, I now hold up 
before you this sacred Volume, and solemnly charge you 
to receive and regard it as your guide through life; 
and may the God of all grace enable both you and me 
to cleave to " the way" in which this Holy Book directs 
us to walk, till we meet before his throne on high !— 
Amen. 



DISCOUESE VI. 



CHRISTIAN INTEGRITY EXPLAINED AND RECOMMENDED. 



II CORINTHIANS, 1. 12. 

"For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience 
that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly 
wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had op" 
conversation in the world, and more abundantly to 
you-wardP 

J.N this passage the apostle Paul points out the source, 
from which he and his fellow labourers in the gospel 
derived their support and consolation, amidst all the 
difficulties and dangers which they were called to en- 
counter. He had just been speaking of " the trouljts 
which came to them in Asia/' by which they " were 
pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that 
they despaired even of life." In connexion with this, 
and the intimation that their deliverance was in answer 
to the prayers of the church, the apostle introduces the 
text — In discoursing upon it, my purpose is to show that 
what St. Paul experienced, will be the experience of 
all, who shall act upon the same principles and in the 
same manner that he did. With this view, I will en- 
deavour 



128 DISCOURSE VI. 

I. To explain what is implied in " having our conver- 
sation in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not 
with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God." 

II. To show that he who has " the testimony of his 
conscience," that the tenour of his life has been of this 
description will have a source of inward peace and sat- 
isfaction that nothing can destroy. 

I. In explaining what is implied in u having our con- 
versation in the world, in simplicity and godly sincerity, 
Dot with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God," I 
begin with remarking, that there is an opposition stated 
in the text between fleshly wisdom, and godly simpli- 
city. By noticing this opposition distinctly, by at- 
tending carefully to the contrasted terms and phrases 
which occur in the passage, we shall be likely to ob- 
tain the clearest and fullest views of what the inspired 
penman desired to recommend. 

What then are we to understand by u fleshly wis- 
dom" ? The phrase, I think, may designate two systems 
of conduct, both of which deserve our notice. 

In the first place ; fiesh is a term sometimes used 
in scripture to express, generally, the state of those who 
are destitute of true religion. Thus we are told that 
" they who are after the flesh, do mind the things of 
the flesh," and that " they who are in the flesh cannot 
please God." Fleshly wisdom, according to this sense 
of the term flesh, may signify the same as unsanctioned 
sagacity, or mere worldly prudence. A system of ac- 
tion in which men, from a regard to their temporal in- 



DISCOURSE VI. 129 

terest solely, without any reverence for religion, in ay 
adopt and pursue, with much skill and success, the 
means of advancing themselves in the world, or of se- 
curing renown with succeeding generations. There 
certainly appear to be some, who, either from the senti- 
ments of a mind which naturally abhors artifice, chi- 
chane and disguise, or from the influence of education 
and example, maintain a character for open and upright 
conduct, in their intercourse with the world, while re- 
ligious considerations have little or no influence on their 
minds. They have the good sense to discern that inflex- 
ible integrity is favourable to a high standing in society, 
as well as to a lasting fame. They have, also, a pride 
in their honesty, and they scorn to violate it. Fleshly 
wisdom, thus exercised, may lead, you perceive, to a 
degree of simplicity and sincerity of conduct, resembling 
that which proceeds from religious principle. The re- 
spects in which they differ, for differ they do, we shall 
afterwards consider. 

But secondly ; the term flesh is most commonly used 
in the sacred scriptures to denote, in a peculiar man- 
ner, the whole system of corrupt and mischievous pro- 
pensities, passions and desires, of our nature. Thus 
it is used when it is said that " the flesh lusteth against 
the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these 
are contrary the one to the other :" and shortly after 
the inspired writer adds, " Now the works of the flesh 

are manifest, which are these, adulterv, fornication. 

S 



130 DISCOURSE VI. 

uncleanness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, em- 
ulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, mur- 
ders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like." Hence we 
are required to "crucify the flesh with its affections 
and lusts ;" and are informed that " if we live after the 
flesh we shall die ; but if we, through the Spirit, do 
mortify the deeds of the body we shall live." 

Fleshly wisdom, according to this sense of the term 
flesh, must mean that art and management by which a 
worldly and wicked man, seeks the gratification of un- 
lawful or unworthy desires, under the mask of fair 
professions or appearances : or, more generally, it com- 
prehends every dishonest principle or unrighteous plan, 
every species of deceit, fraud, duplicity and unlawful 
disguise, which a vicious man may adopt or pursue, for 
the attainment of his selfish or wicked ends. It is this 
kind of fleshly wisdom that instructs a man never to 
utter an unwelcome truth, whatever prospect there may 
be of doing good by it. It teaches him always to watch 
the current of popular and fashionable opinion, and turn 
it to his own fame or interest. It leads him to tempo- 
rize, and accommodate himself to whatever sentiments 
or practice will, in his opinion, promote his worldly 
advantage. It enables and disposes him to mark the 
oversights and weaknesses of men and to profit by them. 
It prepares him, in a thousand ways, to overreach and 
make tools of others, so as to render them subservient to 
his own purposes, and it disposes him never to miss 



DISCOURSE VI. 131 

the opportunity of doing it. In a word, having set 
up self as his idol, the man of fleshly wisdom most as- 
siduously worships it, and uses all his prudence, talents, 
and invention, to make every thing serve or honour it. 
Now, to proceed in this manner successfully, requires 
great skill and management ; and hence the art is cal* 
led wisdom. Its object is the flesh 5 and hence it is 
called fleshly. 

There is, you observe, a most material difference be- 
tween this character and the one before described ; 
though both are destitute of religion. Both are formed by 
a supreme regard to the things of the present life. But 
the possessor of the former, chuses to prosecute his views 
along the high road of honour and integrity ; the pos- 
sessor of the latter condescends to pursue them through 
all the windings and labyrinths of intrigue, cunning and 
deception. The apostle's character, in which simplicity 
and godly sincerity were conspicuous, differed essen- 
tially from both. It differed from the former, most man- 
ifestly, in the principle on which it was formed, While 
worldly prudence, as we have remarked, regards only 
the things of the present life ; christian simplicity is 
produced principally from a regard to God and eternity. 
You will take notice that the author of our text ascribes 
it to the grace of God, as the ultimate and efficient 
cause, that he* had been enabled to pursue such a con- 
versation in the world as he actually did. It was from 
this principle, as the vital root, that his unblemished 
integrity sprang up and was nourished. Hence it is 



132 DISCOURSE VI. 

called a godly sincerity. The grace of God was both 
its origin and support. Divine grace, by transforming 
and renewing his mind, had taught him to " set his af- 
fections on things above, and not on things on the 
earth." It had taught him to consider God as his por- 
tion, Christ as his Saviour, and the precepts of the 
gospel as his rule of life. It had taught him to do every 
thing with a view to the glory of his Creator, and with 
a reference to eternity. It had tinctured his whole 
soul with a warm love to his Redeemer, and the good 
of immortal souls. Divine grace, constantly afforded, 
had enabled him to maintain a perpetual sense of the 
divine presence 5 to remember that his soul was always 
naked and open to the eye of that God with whom he 
had to do ; and that very shortly, he was to render a 
strict account for every deed done in the body, whether 
it were good or evil. By the grace of God he had been 
taught these things ; and by the same blessed light and 
influence they had penetrated deeply into his mind, and 
formed all its principles and habits. Hence simplicity 
and sincerity, in all his conversation with the w T orld, 
would naturally proceed. Hence, in fact, he delivered 
the unadulterated doctrines of Jesus, in all their extent 
and purity ; without concealing any part of their na- 
ture, tendency or consequences. Confiding in the in- 
finite power and wisdom of the Master whom he served, 
and that they would be exerted to give such effect to 
honest endeavours as was most desirable, he refused 
utterly the base aid of deception and dissimulation. 



DISCOURSE VI. 133 

Impressed with the recollection that God was the God 
of truth, he would have trembled at the thought of em- 
ploying any species of falsehood or delusion in his ser- 
vice. For the same reason, in all the common transac- 
tions which form what is here called "our conver- 
sation in the world," simplicity and sincerity distinguish- 
ed his thoughts, his words and his actions. His lan- 
guage was not a covert, dark, ambiguous set of words, 
that might take various senses, or be construed into 
any. It was the clear, plain and simple expression 
of what in his soul he believed, desired and pursued. 
His ends and designs were not disavowed, while he 
prosecuted them in secret. He professed them can- 
didly, and followed them conspicuously. Such was the 
general conduct of the Apostle, as referred to in the 
text : and it differs, I repeat, from mere worldly hones- 
ty in its principle — in originating from a deep and tender 
sense of accountableness to God. The two systems pro- 
duce, in a degree, the same external and visible effects. 
But the internal views and motives of the mind are ex- 
ceedingly dissimilar. The honesty of worldly men 
takes its origin from a respect to the things of time, and 
is influenced chiefly by a regard to the opinions of men. 
Christian simplicity springs from the faith of things 
eternal, and regards above all things the command and 
authority of God. The former terminates its views in 
self applause or advantage ; the latter in the approba- 
tion of the Most High. The one makes the concerns 
of the present state supreme ; the other makes them 



134 DISCOURSE VI. 

all subordinate and subservient to a better and an eternal 
state. This difference I thought it proper distinctly 
to exhibit, because it is real 3 because it is useful to see 
the various foundations on. which conduct somewhat 
similar may rest ; and because, if I mistake not, it shows 
that the sentiments of honesty, candour and integrity, 
which are founded on religious considerations, are in- 
comparably the most stable, extensive and durable ; and 
that they are those only which, with any propriety, can 
lead us to expect the divine approbation and reward. 
If we have no regard for God in our actions, let them 
be in their tendency what they may, it is absurd to sup- 
pose that He will accept them, in the same manner as if 
we had such a regard. With the heart-searching Jeho- 
vah motive gives its character to all that we do. " Their 
works/' said our Saviour, " they do to be seen of men, 
and verily I say unto you they have their reward." 

But having given this general view of the subject, 
and explained the origin or foundation of Godly sincer- 
ity ; I am now to remark that it is, in a most peculiar 
manner, opposed to fleshly wisdom, considered as a sys- 
tem of deliberate deception, and was, I suppose, princi- 
pally intended by the apostle to be so taken. Let us, 
then, for a few moments pursue this contrast, and mark 
a number of points in which it most remarkably takes 
place. These, indeed, have been in a degree anticipa- 
ted. But the subject will justify a short presentment 
of the same ideas under different aspects, for the sake 
of a fuller illustration. 



DISCOURSE ft. 135 

First; the ends, or objects, which fleshly wisdom 
pursues, are kept out of sight ; while a man of real sim- 
plicity or sincerity fairly and frankly avows his aims 
and intentions. If the apostle had been under the in- 
fluence of fleshly wisdom, as his enemies represented 
him to be, his object in preaching the gospel would 
have been personal applause, and the popular influence 
and respect which he might acquire by it. This would 
have been the real design of his labours, and his relig- 
ious exhortations would have been no more than a cov- 
ert vehicle, to carry him forward to this end. But, 
influenced as he was by simplicity and godly sincerity, 
he actually pursued those ends, and no other than those, 
which he professed to the world. An earnest desire to 
promote the cause of Christ and the salvation of souls, 
if you could have seen his naked heart, would have been 
found predominating there, directing his whole practice, 
engrossing his whole concern, and cheering and animating 
his whole soul. This contrast is the same in all cases. 
The man of fleshly wisdom conceals his ends. They 
are unlawful, or mean, or in some way dishonourable 
and he is ashamed to reveal them. They need disguise 
and must be covered. The man, perhaps, is, in appear- 
ance, a flaming patriot ; while, in reality, he is only 
seeking power, or gain for himself. Or he is extremely 
civil or courteous ; and yet has no other view than to 
make you instrumental to his own emolument. Or he 
appears very fair and obliging in his dealings, and 
yet his real object is only to get you fully in his 



136 DISCOURSE VI. 

power and to defraud you of what you possess. But it 
would be endless to enumerate all the vile purposes, 
which this fleshly wisdom may suggest to different men. 
according to their various situations or employments 
in life. To all of them, however, a mind in which simpli- 
city and sincerity reigns, will be irreconcilably opposed. 
It will fear, hate, and despise them all. It will permit a 
man to make no professions which are not sincere. Does 
he profess to be a christian ? He is one in his heart. 
He allows himself in nothing secretly which he knows 
to be contrary to the gospel. He really loves religion, 
and from his inmost soul endeavours to obey and ob- 
serve its dictates. Does he come forward as a friend 
to his country ? His country's interest is what he truly 
and earnestly seeks ; and no tide of popular opinion 
will warp him from it. He will sacrifice character and 
influence, when he might retain them, rather than dis- 
semble in what he thinks would be for the public good. 
Does he profess benevolence ? He feels what he profes- 
ses. He treats all men with kindness, because the law of 
kindness is in his heart. Has he assured you of his 
friendship ? You will never find him other than a friend ; 
and the most so, when you need his friendship most. 
Does he seem to make you fair offers in merchandize or 
trade? He is what he seems. There is no trap, or 
catch, laid to ensnare and injure you. If you under- 
stand your own interest, it will never be disadvantaged 
by the treachery of his offers. He is a plain meaning 
and a plain dealing man. In a word, in whatever way 



DISCOURSE VI. 137 

you take him, the man of simplicity and sincerity lets 
you see the ends at which he really aims, as far as it is 
proper to disclose them; and, without exception, he 
is careful not to beguile the innocent. If he has pro- 
fessed his views you always know where to find him. 

Secondly, These characters differ as much in regard 
to the means they use as to the ends they pursue. Nay, 
it is here that the characteristic opposition is, perhaps, 
most frequently seen. Fleshly wisdom, if it can persuade 
its possessor that the end is lawful, or laudable, will teach 
him to seek it by all the means in his power. That 
the end justifies, or sanctifies the means, is its favour- 
ite, if not its avowed maxim ; and it considers as an al- 
lowable, and even a commendable policy, every artifice 
or finess, by which a favourite purpose may be accom- 
plished. It even treats contemptuously, those scruples, 
which make men hesitate and refuse to adopt unfair or 
deceptive measures. It attributes such scruples to weak- 
ness of mind, to squeamishness of conscience, to igno- 
rance of human nature, to the want of understanding 
the management of affairs, to the want of comprehen- 
sive views ; and I know not to how many other 
wants which men of fleshly wisdom are always ready to 
impute to the man of christian sincerity. For such a 
man, believe it, must, and will forever, abhor and avoid 
all such disingenuity. He will esteem it a system of 
detestable craft and deceit^ whatever specious names, or 
fair representations, its admirers may give it. His lan- 
guage will be — " my soul, come not thou into their 

T 



138 DISCOURSE VI. 

secret ; unto their assembly mine honour he not thou 
united." The man of sincerity will never admit that 
the most desirable and important end is to be sought by 
unlawful means. He will abhor the policy of doing 
evil that good may come ; or of professing to aim at a 
point which is exactly opposite to that which it is his 
intention if possible to reach. He will do the thing 
that ir right, and leave the event to God. And here, 
let me remark, is another advantage of those who found 
their integrity on the principles of true religion. They 
have a governing conviction that there is an Almighty 
power, which controls and directs the affairs of men. 
They know that God orders or over- rules all events, and 
that the hearts of all men are in his hand, and that he 
can "turn them as the rivers of water are turned." 
To Him they look to give success to a good cause, when 
they have done their duty in endeavouring to promote 
it. And they are confident that He both can and will 
give it the issue that is best. They remember that the 
issue belongs to him, and therefore to make use of for- 
bidden or disingenuous means to bring about what they 
esteem desirable, would be at once to violate the laws 
of God, and to invade his prerogative. In many instan- 
ces they are sensible that it is not for them to deter- 
mine what event is actually the most desirable upon the 
whole, nor what means will most certainly promote it. 
Their concern, therefore, is to abide by the plain rules 
of duty, leaving all consequences to Him to whom it 
belongs to order them according to his sovereign will. 



DISCOURSE VI. 139 

In a word, with a man of godly sincerity, there is no 
price that you can set upon his duty. Propose to him 
any object, however valuable or desirable in itself, if 
the means by which it must be acquired are not lawful, 
or even if they are very questionable, you will solicit 
him in vain. His language will be that of Job — " All 
the while my breath is in me, and the Spirit of God is 
in my nostrils ; my lips shall not speak wickedness nor 
my tongue utter deceit. God forbid that I should jus- 
tify you. Till I die I will not remove my integrity 
from me. My righteousness I hold fast and will not let 
it go. My heart shall never reproach me as long as I 
live — For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he 
hath gained, when God taketh away his soul W 

Thirdly, The contrast of which I am speaking, is ap- 
parent, not merely on some particular occasions, but it is 
manifest in the general character of the parties who ex- 
hibit it. Fleshly wisdom itself, taken in the worst sense 
in which the phrase can be used, may lead a man to act 
as if he were honest and upright, when his worldly in- 
terest draws in that direction : and it is a wise order 
of providence, no doubt, that not only his ultimate 
good, but his immediate benefit, should so frequently 
urge a man to his duty. But the real integrity of the 
heart is seen in the hour of trial, and in the general 
habits of life. It is habit, especially, that marks a 
man's true character. In particular acts, a good man, 
through the force or suddenness of temptation, may 
dreadfully transgress ; and a bad man, as we have just 



140 DISCOURSE VI. 

remarked, may, from a regard to his interest, appear 
to be honest. But it is " our conversation in the 
world," as the Apostle calls it ; our conduct taken in a 
complex view; our behaviour in the various circum- 
stances in which we are placed, in all the business we 
are called to perform, in all the characters and relations 
that we sustain ; — this it is that must give us the char- 
acter of simplicity and sincerity, or the reverse. Here 
the contrast I would exhibit is clearly and strikingly 
seen. Here, on the one hand, you see a man who has 
u a darkness of character in which you can see no heart." 
He is artful, sly, deceitful, slippery, cunning, insidious, 
full of intrigue, full of secret schemes and designs, now 
this thing and then another, but always prepared with 
a plausible pretext for the change ; you never know 
what dependance to place on his professions, or whether 
what he appears to be aiming at, be the real object of his 
pursuit, or not. Here on the other hand is ** an Isra- 
elite indeed in whom there is no guile." He is a plain, 
undisguised, frank, fair, upright, thoroughly honest man, 
always the same, always candid and ingenuous, you rely 
upon him in every thing, and you feel as safe in trust- 
ing him as in trusting yourself. Even in times of the 
severest trial, or the greatest danger, his integrity is as 
inflexible as ever. He is then supported, and fortified, 
and comforted with the assured hope of a better state 
beyond the present : for the supposition is that he has 
such a hope to sustain and animate him. And indeed, 
at such times, what could he do without it ? Yes, and 



DISCOURSE VI. 141 

let me ask, in closing the contrast, what will the infi- 
del do without it ? How will he maintain his integrity 
when all prospect of worldly advantage from it is taken 
away ? Consider him pressed by all the distresses of the 
present life, supported by no definite and cheering ex- 
pectation in regard to futurity, having it entirely in his 
power to relieve himself by unlawful aid, perhaps in- 
vited and pressed to accept of that aid — will he, in 
such circumstances, be found inflexible ? Ah ! it is haz- 
ardous to trust him then. It is then that the unspeak- 
able advantages of religious integrity are seen and felt. 
— Thus have I endeavoured to illustrate the character 
of him who has his " conversation in the world in sim- 
plicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but 
by the grace of God." 

But, it is probable, that some of you may be ready to 
ask — Will not the character we have heard described 
and recommended, render its possessor the dupe and 
victim of those very men with whom he has been con- 
trasted ? Ought we not to make use of prudence on all 
occasions, and may we not employ skill and management 
on many ? Is it not necessary frequently to conceal our in- 
tentions ; and sometimes to accommodate ourselves to the 
time, the place, the company, and many other circum- 
stances, in which we may be called to act ? 

In answer to these questions, let me distinctly ob- 
serve, that the character I have drawn will be great- 
ly misapprehended, if it be considered as hostile to 
the most wary, prudent, and guarded conduct or be- 



142 DISCOURSE Vl. 

haviour ; and therefore that it will not expose its pos- 
sessor, peculiarly, to imposition and deception from 
crafty and designing men. It is by no means to be sup- 
posed that a character for simplicity and sincerity implies 
either weakness of intellect, or ignorance of the world. 
This, as I have remarked, is the favourite representation 
of rogues and knaves ; but it is just as false as the most of 
their other statements. Christian integrity admits, 
fairly, of the following things — 

1. Oi forbearance ; that is, we may forbear to deliver 
our sentiments, or to avow our designs, when others 
have clearly no right or claim to know them ; and we 
ought to do so, when it is probable that by declaring 
them we should injure ourselves and do no good to oth- 
ers. It is upon this principle that our Saviour has 
grounded the injunction — " Give not that which is holy 
unto the dogs ; neither cast ye your pearls before 
swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn 
again and rend you." Upon the same principle we 
may in any case forbear to act, when action will plainly 
be without effect, and especially when it will probably 
increase rather than prevent or mitigate an evil. 

2. Compromise, in a qualified sense, is consistent with 
christian integrity. In forming and prosecuting plans 
of benevolence'or utility, in concert with others, mutual 
concession is not only lawful but commendable. With- 
out it, indeed, such plans can never be extensively form- 
ed and executed. If each individual will insist on hav- 
ing every thing exactly as he wishes it, and will plead 



DISCOURSE VI. 143 

conscience as a bar to uniting with others, there can be 
no union, no co-operation, and no great good effected. 
Having stated fairly our own views and wishes, if we 
judge that integrity requires such a statement, we may 
lawfully lend our aid to any design or enterprise which 
we think beneficial or commendable on the whole — 
Among things which are clearly morally evil, we are, 
certainly, to make no choice ; but among natural evils, 
or mere inconveniences, it may frequently be the part 
of duty, or of prudence, to choose the least ; and when 
we cannot effect much good, we ought always to be 
ready to co-operate cordially in effecting a little. 

3. Skill and address in the use of lawful means are 
perfectly consistent with christian sincerity. It requires 
us neither to be blunt, nor rude. Decorum and true 
politeness never interfere with it, but may be made its 
powerful auxiliaries. It permits us to consult time, 
place and character. It even requires us to accommo- 
date ourselves to the infirmities and weaknesses of man- 
kind. That all this is allowable, or rather that it ought 
to be regarded as highly important, is manifest from 
what the author of our text tells us of himself. We 
learn from his own writings, as well as from what is 
related of his conduct and character in the Acts of the 
Apostles, that he was a man of the most consummate 
address ; that he paid all due deference to rank and 
station ; that he always consulted the characters of 
those to whom he spake; that he condescended, and 
even conformed to many prejudices ; that he forbore to 



144 DISCOURSE VI. 

do many things that were lawful because they were not 
expedient ; that, in a word, " he was made all things 
to all men, that he might by all means save some." Thus 
acted the apostle Paul ; and yet, under the guidance and 
sanction of the Spirit of infallible truth, he penned the sol- 
emn declaration which forms our text. His whole history 
and character serve to illustrate our subject, and to prove 
incontestibly that " simplicity and godly sincerity'' may 
be united with talents and accomplishments of the high- 
est order and of the most various kinds ; that they con- 
sist with a deep knowledge of mankind and with the 
greatest skill in the management of every concern; 
that they are frequently an overmatch for all the sub- 
tility and malignity which can be arrayed against them ; 
and that they are not only defensive but highly orna- 
mental to their possessor. 

Let us now consider 

II. That whoever has the testimony of his conscience, 
that he has had his conversation in the world in that 
simplicity and godly sincerity which has been described, 
will have a source of internal peace and satisfaction 
which nothing can destroy. 

That the experience of the Apostle went fully to the 
support of this position we have his own explicit decla- 
ration, not only in the text, but in numerous other passa- 
ges of his writings. Nor was his experience, let it be ob- 
served, that of a man whose life was destitute of those 
trials which should give it weight. On the contrary, 
there never, perhaps, existed a man, who had more 



DISCOURSE VL 145 

opportunities to know from experience, whether godly 
sincerity was a never failing source of peace and satis- 
faction. Educated with the fairest prospects of honour 
and distinction among his countrymen the Jews, he had 
for the sake of Christ, become an outcast from his na- 
tion, and was persecuted with the most deadly hatred* 
As to this world, " he had suffered the loss of all 
things." The attainment of distinction and opulence? 
which his birth, talents and education, seem to have 
put in his power, he had resigned for contempt and pov- 
erty, and a life of incessant toil, anxiety and jeopardy* 
Hear his own account of this matter— and recollect too 
that it stands in the same address which contains the 
text. Speaking of those who insidiously endeavoured 
to misrepresent him with the churches, and which, in 
itself, was no inconsiderable trial, he says, " Are they He* 
brews ? so am I. Are they Israelites ? so am L Are they 
the seed of Abraham ? so am I* Are they ministers^ of 
Christ ? (I speak as a fool,) I am more ; in labours more 
abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more fre- 
quent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I for- 
ty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once 
was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day 
I have been in the deep : in journeyings often, in perils of 
waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own coun- 
trymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, 
in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils 
among false brethren ; in weariness and painfulness, in 

watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often? 

U 



146 DISCOURSE Vi- 

lli cold and nakedness. Besides those things that are 
without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of 
all the churches." Such were the unparalleled suffer- 
ings and trials in which was passed, not a short period, 
but the whole life of the apostle, after his conversion — 
the whole life of a man, who, as " a Hebrew of the 
Hebrews, brought up at the feet of Gamaliel," once had 
the most flattering prospects which the united influence 
of birth and erudition could give, of possessing power 
and honour and affluence, as great as his nation could 
bestow. This was the man who declared that the tes- 
timony of a good conscience that he acted with simpli- 
city and godly sincerity in all his intercourse with the 
world, had not only supported him under all his 
changes, and sacrifices, and perils, and pains, and deg- 
radations, but had enabled him to rejoice and glory 
amidst them all. Such an example, surely, affords a 
powerful support to the doctrine I inculcate. But the 
truth is general. Every man who acts as the apostle 
acted, will also be enabled to rejoice as he rejoiced- 
Lend me your serious attention, while I briefly explain 
how this happy result will always be produced. 

1. The testimony of a good conscience will not only 
preserve its possessor, in the most trying scenes of ad- 
versity in which he can be placed, from all self accusa- 
tion or reproach, but will affoid him the sweet solace^ 
and the powerful support of self approbation. The 
faculty of our minds by which we both censure and 
approve our own motives and conduct is conscience. 



DISCOURSE VI. 147 

But our supposition is that the party we consider has 
the testimony of his conscience full in his favour. It is 
impossible, therefore, that he should accuse or reproach 
himself, since the faculty from which alone accusation 
or reproach could come is employed, so to speak, in an 
opposite direction — in acquitting and approving him. 
This the apostle assures us was the cause of his rejoic- 
ing ; and we see, from the very constitution of our na- 
ture, that the same effect must take place in every 
one who possesses the good conscience which he pos- 
sessed. 

Now, let a man be free from all self reproach ; let 
him have the entire approbation of his own mind ; let 
him, on the closest examination of himself and the most 
careful review of his conduct, see reason to rejoice, and 
actually rejoice, in the course he has pursued, the part 
he has acted and the motives by which he has been gov- 
erned, and he is completely out of the reach of deep 
or lasting misery. Subject him to privations, burden him 
with cares, load him with contempt, expose him to dan- 
gers, inflict upon him bodily torments — he will feel them, 
he must feel them, but still he will rejoice. The surface of 
his sensibilities only will be touched. His inward man? 
the sensorium of his soul, will remain sound and whole? 
and full of delightful sensations. Or if, for a moment, he 
be shaken or agitated here, he will recover speedily? 
will rejoice with renewed joy, and meet the storm with 
increased strength and augmented firmness. It is the 
soul of man that feels, and the soul of this man will and 



148 DISCOURSE VI. 

must have feelings which exclude misery and make it 
joyful. 

It is in the season of severe trial, that the support 
which is derived from a good conscience is, at once, most 
needed and most sensibly experienced. While men 
are prosperous in the world they often find it practica- 
ble to lull their consciences, or to escape from them, or, 
by the aid of false principles, to accommodate them to 
their wishes or their passions. But in a time of deep 
affliction, when all outward circumstances are adverse, 
when the mind is cut off from all that is pleasing in the 
world, from all external and adventitious aids and ob- 
jects, and is driven inward on itself, then it is not easy 
to escape from conscience, nor easy to maintain inward 
qu'et with a misguided conscience. Then has come 
the hour for reflection, and recollection, and exam- 
ination and inquiry, and wo to him whose peace and 
contentment have rested on the sandy foundation of 
carelessness, or forge tfulness, or falsehood, or mistake, 
or ignorance, or sophistry ! He is now likely to dis- 
cover that his refuge has been " a refuge of lies," that 
he has nothing stable to support or shelter him, nothing 
that can resist the storms and billows of adversity 
which threaten to sweep him — and happy is he if they 
do not now actually sweep him— into the abyss of des- 
pair and perdition. 

On the other hand, the test to which adversity brings 
him who has the testimony of his conscience that he has 



DISCOURSE VI. 149 

had his conversation in the world in simplicity and godly 
sincerity, only serves to satisfy him the more fully of 
the rectitude of his motives and actions, and to prove to 
him more unquestionably that he has an unfailing source 
of consolation. Examination and scrutiny are always 
favourable to truth. They ascertain it more clearly, 
and fix our confidence in it more firmly. Hence the 
man of godly sincerity, when he examines himself close- 
ly in the season of adversity, becomes more satisfied 
than ever that he has acted right ; and the testimony 
of his conscience in his favour becomes of course more 
decisive, and powerful, and consoling, and enables him 
to say with emphasis, "I rejoice even in tribulation ; 
yea, and I will rejoice." For 

2. What we believe, on the closest and fullest exami- 
nation, to be right, we must conclude to be the object of 
approbation with the Deity, who is perfect rectitude. 
But on such examination, as we have just seen, the man of 
godly sincerity conscientiously believes that he has acted 
right. His course of action, therefore, he must con- 
clude — he cannot doubt— is the object of approbation 
with his God. Yes, he is satisfied, he knows that God 
regards his uprightness with complacency. And can a 
mind fully persuaded of this be miserable ? Can any 
thing destroy the pleasure and satisfaction arising from 
such a persuasion ? No, brethren — Earth and hell may 
attempt in vain to render that man unhappy, who is 
justly and firmly persuaded that God is his friend. 
The approbation, the friendship, the favour, the love, 



150 DISCOURSE VI. 

of the Supreme Being, when we are thoroughly satis- 
fied they are ours, appear as much superior to any 
thing that creatures can give or take, as his nature and 
attributes are superior to theirs. Possessing these, the 
mind can look down with a holy indifference or disre- 
gard, on all the things of time ; on all adversity, in 
whatever form it may come ; while looking up to God 
it exclaims — " Thy favour is life, and thy loving kind- 
ness is better than life— My flesh and my heart fail- 
eth, but God is the strength of my heart and my por- 
tion forever." This leads me to remark 

3. That the man of godly sincerity is comforted and 
made to rejoice at all times, and especially in the time 
of affliction, by the assured hope and expectation of fu- 
ture and endless happiness. Both the considerations 
already suggested are always and inseparably connect- 
ed with this, and derive from it their principal force 
and efficacy. That virtue, indeed, should ever suffer 
under the government of an infinitely wise, powerful 
and good Being, is what we shall not find it easy to 
account for, on any other supposition than that there is 
a state of future and perfect retribution. But we are 
not left, on this subject, to the mere deductions of reason, 
" Christ hath abolished death, and hath brought life and 
immortality to light through the gospel." We know 
from the oracles of infallible truth that " God hath ap- 
pointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in 
righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained — 
that he will bring every work into judgment with every 



DISCOURSE VI. 151 

secret thing, whether it be good or whether it he evil — 
that he will judge the secrets of men — that we must all 
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every 
one may receive the things done in his body, according 
to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad 5 and 
that the wicked shall go away into everlasting punish- 
ment, but the righteous into life eternal." Here is the 
description of those awful realities of a future state, 
those deeply interesting scenes and events, to which the 
man of godly sincerity is looking forward, through the 
whole of his christian course. His mind's eye is often 
fixed on u the judgment of the great day/" How shall I 
answer then ? is the solemn question which he frequent- 
ly puts to himself. To answer then " with joy and not 
with grief," is his great concern. This influences him 
to maintain " a conscience void of offence, toward God 
and toward man." This determines him to preserve 
his integrity, though it should cost him his life ; and to 
approve himself to the heart searching God, who is so 
soon to judge the secrets of his heart. And now we 
contemplate him as having the testimony of his con- 
science that he has, truly and prevalently, acted under 
the influence of these considerations. Amidst all the sin 
and imperfection of which he is conscious, for which he 
is deeply humbled, and which bring him to a simple 
reliance on the merits of his Redeemer, both for acquit- 
tal and reward, he still perceives that he has acted with 
sincerity; that he has habitually endeavoured to obey 
all the divine commandments ; that he has not wilfully 



15% DISCOURSE VI. 

or allowedly swerved from his duty ; that he has fol- 
lowed its dictates, in opposition to the frowns and the 
flatteries of the world ; that he has heen ready to en- 
counter, and is at this very moment willing to bear 
reproach, and persecution, and loss, and peril, and 
poverty, and death itself, rather than desert his duty, 
or dishonour his Saviour, or refuse him any service 
that he may require — He perceives this ; he is inti- 
mately and deeply conscious of it. He is therefore 
permitted — and oh how does he admire the ineffable 
grace and condescension by which he is permitted — ■ 
to consider himself as a real disciple of Christ, as vital- 
ly united to him, as sure of his approbation " when he 
shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admir- 
ed in all them that believe." He anticipates the day 
of dread decision, when his Saviour will acknowledge 
and honour him before the assembled universe, will 
turn all his infamy into honour and all his sorrows into 
joy, will place a crown of eternal glory on his head, and 
will say to him with all his chosen people, u Come ye 
blessed of my Father, enter into the joy of your Lord-— 
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founda- 
tion of the world." 

And now say, my brethren, if the man who, with 
humble confidence, anticipates a participation in these 
glories of the final judgment, and the succeeding felici- 
ties of an eternal duration, may not, and will not, even 
exult and triumph amidst any sufferings — no matter of 
what kind or from what quarter they may come — 



DISCOURSE VL 153 

which the world can inflict. Yes, he may — He may, 
even in the view of certain martyrdom, say, as the au- 
thor of our text actually said — " I am now ready to be 
offered ; and the time of my departure is at hand. I 
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I 
have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the right- 
eous judge shall give unto me in that day ; and not 
unto me only but unto all them also which love his 
appearing." 

My young friends — whose connexion with this 
institution is about to be dissolved 

It was my design in selecting the topic you have just 
heard discussed, to lay hold on the present interesting 
occasion, to recommend, in the most powerful manner 
of which I am capable, the character you have heard 
described, to your attention and imitation. And if I 
shall be so happy as effectually to succeed in this, I 
shall be instrumental in confering on you a benefit of 
the most essential kind ; a benefit which will be as last- 
ing as your existence. For if you possess that simpli- 
city and godly sincerity of which the text speaks, and 
which you have heard discriminated from fleshly wis- 
dom of every kind, you will possess true religion ; and 
you will possess it, too, in its best, most lovely, and 
most useful form. This — observe it distinctly — is what 

I recommend. Never have I attempted— and God for* 

X 



154 DISCOURSE VI. 

bid that I ever should attempt — to make you, or others, 
believe, that a system of mere worldly prudence, and 
an amiable exterior, will secure the salvation of the 
soul. It certainly will not. God has to do with the 
heart ; and your religion must begin by a change there, 
and be influenced by evangelical views and motives 
throughout, if it ever lead you to heaven. At the 
same time, these evangelical views and motives, as has 
been shewn in this discourse, will form the deepest, 
broadest and most solid basis, on which to rear the 
fabrick of integrity and honesty before the world. 
Build, therefore, on this foundation. Never be con- 
tent, or think yourselves safe without it. 

But having said this, I think it not improper, and 
hope it may be useful to add, that I know of nothing 
which affords so fair a hope that a man will eventually 
become truly pious, as that inflexible attachment to 
what he believes to be truth and duty, which may go 
into the character of a man of integrity, while yet he is 
not a man of practical piety ; provided only that he 
avoids the danger of making a religion or righteousness 
of this character. If he have it, as he may have it, 
without building his hopes of heaven upon it, there is 
much reason to expect that the love of truth and ten- 
derness of conscience, with which it is usually associated, 
will lead to true piety at last. The apostle who pen- 
ned the text did make a righteousness of such a char- 
acter, in his unconverted state. And though he was 
eonverted by miracle, yet he tells us himself, what 



DISCOURSE VI. 155 

amounts to saying, that this miracle would not have been 
wrought if he had not possessed this character — if he 
had not " sinned ignorantly in unbelief." If he had 
not " verily thought that he ought to do many things 
contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth" — if he had 
offended in the manner he did, against the convictions 
of his own mind, he would never have found mercy. 
But he always acted as he verily thought he ought to 
act ; and therefore, though he acted very wickedly — 
and his case proves incontestibly that a man may act 
very wickedly when he fully believes he is doing right — 
yet his sins were forgiven ; and he became, probably, 
the most useful mere man that ever lived. His case is 
exactly to my present purpose. If, then, you would 
hope to be truly pious, never trifle with truth ; never 
use deceit ; abhor all fraud ; and maintain a character 
for uprightness and integrity : And yet, I repeat it, be- 
ware that you do not content yourselves with this ; but 
seek the renovation of your heart and nature, and a 
vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ, making him 
your all in all. 

But alas ! it is painful to say, that there are men 
who profess religion, and who, on the whole, we know 
not how entirely to exclude from our charity, that are, 
nevertheless, grievously deficient in simplicity and god- 
ly sincerity. Without something of it, indeed, they 
cannot be christians, in any thing but in name. But 
there are degrees of this, as well as of every other ex- 



156 DISCOURSE VI. 

cellence ; and it is a most lamentable reflection on re- 
ligion, that its professors — yea, and its very ministers, 
are sometimes reproachfully defective in simplicity and 
sincerity of character. There is scarcely any thing which 
more than this, can injure the cause of Christ, diminish 
their own influence and respect, and in every way in- 
terfere with their usefulness. Let your religious char- 
acter, my young friends, never be stained by this blot. 
Be, in all things, what you profess to be. And such of 
you as shall be called to preach the gospel, I now sol- 
emnly charge to preach it in purity and simplicity. 
Deeply abhor either to conceal the truth, or to deny, 
or disguise, or keep back, any important sentiments 
that you really hold. And in addition to this, always 
sustain a character — for you may sustain it if you 
choose— which shall free you from every just or cred- 
ible charge of duplicity, insincerity, or want of can- 
dour. 

My young friends — do not think that I press this 
subject upon you too much. It is not done from any 
particular distrust of your integrity. You have given 
me no cause for such distrust. But you do not know, 
and all I can say, without your own experience, will 
not make you sufficiently sensible, how important this 
subject really is. Much, you will recollect, you have 
heretofore heard me say upon it ; and you are also 
aware that it is a principle in the government of this 
institution, that frankness, truth and honesty, shall be 



DISCOURSE VI. 157 

the best apology for every fault. But this is the last 
time I am to address you ; and I wish to send you into 
life under the full impression of the truths and prin- 
ciples, which I have now particularly explained and 
inculcated. I therefore leave it as my last parting 
charge to you all, to be honest — thoroughly honest men ; 
to begin life with this, and to carry it with you through 
the whole of life. You have been hearing of some of 
the advantages of doing this; but the half has not 
been told you. 

Integrity will stand your friend, and be your best 
recommendation, in a thousand ways and instances 
that cannot be specified. Sheer integrity is esteemed 
as the most precious quality in those who are to be em- 
ployed and trusted in any business, station, and rela- 
tion of life : and I heartily agree with a late popular 
writer, that " considering how high a price the article 
bears, it is wonderful that there is not more of it in 
the market" — which, indeed, is little else than giving 
point to the old proverb, that honesty is the best 
policy. 

It is a recommendation, too, of this quality, that it 
does not require talents and genius to possess it ; 
though talents and genius are nothing but curses with- 
out it. All may be honest and upright : and whoever 
is characteristically so, will be trusted unboundedly, will 
be respected sincerely, and will be employed in pre- 
ference to all others. I have shown you that this 



158 DISCOURSE VI. 

character, rightly understood and sustained, will nei- 
ther subject you to the charge of weakness, nor to the 
impositions of knaves. No assuredly ; but while it 
will make you honoured and loved by all honest men, 
it will make you respected and feared by knaves them- 
selves. Above all, genuine, godly sincerity will, if you 
possess it, befriend you, when you most need to be be- 
friended. It will, as you have heard, solace and sup- 
port you in those dark hours of adversity in which the 
world will no longer have any power to help or com- 
fort ; or when it shall turn against you, and inflict on 
you all its wrath. Then will godly sincerity raise you 
above all its rage, and fill you with " a peace which 
passeth all understanding." Yea, when you shall 
stand on the brink of the eternal world, it will still 
cheer you ; will make the hour of death a desirable 
hour, and antedate that bliss of heaven of which it will 
ensure the full possession. 

To conclude all- — Endeavour to excel in every thing 
that is praise worthy ; — in science ; in manners ; in 
acquaintance with human nature ; in a knowledge 
of the world and the characters of men. Be erudite, be 
courteous, be conciliating, be prudent, be guarded ; 
yet always be honest and upright. In every thing — 
in religion, in politicks, in you profession, in all your 
intercourse with the world, give yourselves for what 
you are. Never wear a mask. Show yourselves to 
be trust worthy, by actually being so — If you do thisu, 



DISCOURSE TL 159 

I repeat it, you will be honoured, you will be happy. 
— I have done — I commit you to God — praying that 
he may deeply impress on your minds whatever of 
salutary counsel you have now, and at other times, 
heard from these lips ; and grant us a happy meeting 
at his right hand above. Amen. 



DISCOURSE VII. 



A PLEA FOR EARLY PIETY, 



ECCLESIASTES XII. 1. 

"Remember noxv thy Creator, in the days ofthyyouthP 

X HESE are the words of inspiration, recorded by the 
pen of the wisest of men — by the pen of a prince who, 
in circumstances peculiarly favourable to success, had 
tried to derive satisfaction from earthly possessions and 
pleasures ; but who, having found and pronounced the 
trial vain, delivered the text as part of a different and a 
better method of seeking after happiness. The subject, 
therefore, claims our attention, on the highest authority 
both divine and human. 

The true and obvious design of the text is to recom- 
mend and enjoin early piety. This, therefore, will be 
the distinct and single object of the ensuing discourse 5 
which I propose to address immediately and exclusively 
—and I am sure it will be affectionately also — to the 
youth of my charge. In the prosecution of this design, 
I will endeavour 

I. To explain the import of the precept, " Remember 
thy Creator," 



162 DISCOURSE VII. 

II. To specify and urge some important considera- 
tions which should engage those who are " now in the 
days of their youth," to yield to this precept an immedi- 
ate and cheerful obedience. 

A few leading thoughts only, will be offered on the 
first of these divisions. Our time must be chiefly occu- 
pied with the second : for in regard to this subject, as to 
many others, instruction is less needed than persuasion ; 
a knowledge of duty is not wanted so much as a disposi- 
tion to perform it. 

I. The precept, " Remember thy Creator," must be 
considered as enjoining all that is comprised in genuine 
practical piety. 

As forgetfulness of God is not only a sin in itself, but 
the cause of many other sins, so a due remembrance of 
Him is both an important duty, and the most powerful 
incitement to every other duty. The precept we con- 
sider plainly supposes, what experience uniformly attests, 
that he who lives habitually under an impressive recol- 
lection of the being and attributes of God — of his univer- 
sal presence, his infinite majesty, his unspotted purity, 
his inflexible justice, his inviolable veracity, his bound- 
less goodness, grace and mercy, and of the account 
which must shortly be rendered to Him of every deed 
done in the body — cannot be regardless of his commands, 
nor inattentive to any service which he requires. 

Do you believe it would be possible for the daring 
blasphemer, the profane swearer, the careless sabbath 
breaker, the child whose undutifulness breaks a parent's 



DISCOURSE TIL 160 

heart, the murderer, the duellist, the drunkard, the adul- 
terer, the thief, the prodigal, the perjured person, the 
griping miser — to rush forward, heedless and uncon- 
cerned, in perpetrating their several enormities and 
abominations, if they remembered God ? if they believed 
and recollected distinctly, that " for all these things God 
would bring them into judgment ?" What! could any 
one in the possession of his reason habitually do that, the 
penalty of which he knew to be eternal perdition ! No> 
it would be impossible. Fear, although it would not 
change his heart, would restrain him from the acts 
of flagitious vice. Abandoned sinners are always prac- 
tical atheists. This is the character given of them in 
holy scripture. There we are told that they " forget 
God;" that "God is not in all their thoughts;" that "the 
fool hath said in his heart there is no God" — Here is the 
exuberant fountain of licentious sinning. 

On the other hand, when men are brought seriously 
to remember their Creator* — to have some operative be- 
lief of his presence, of his inspection, and of their ac- 
countableness to Him, they immediately begin to think 
and act in a manner which usually terminates in true re- 
ligion. The truth is, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of 
grace, is the blessed agent, who both commences and per- 
fects this momentous work. He it is who first brings men 
to consider their responsibility to their Maker, and then 
prompts, and aids and directs their minds, in that whole 
train of exercises, the issue of which is a sound conver- 
sion unto God. The process; indeed, by which this issue 



164 DISCOURSE VII. 

is effected, is extremely various ; but the result is always 
the same. Fear of the divine displeasure is frequently 
the feeling which is first experienced, as it is that which 
is naturally produced, when the unsanctified mind ob- 
tains some just and impressive perceptions of the being 
and attributes of God. This is often followed, or accom- 
panied, with a deep sense of guilt, misery and helpless- 
ness. The gospel offer of free salvation, through the 
atonement and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
i3 now regarded as inestimably precious ; and he is, at 
length, received and rested on by faith, as the all in all of 
the soul. With this faith, by which alone the sinner is 
justified, true evangelical repentance for sin is always 
mixed. Sin, in its very nature, appears unspeakably 
odious, and it is mourned for, hated and renounced, with- 
out any exception for a favourite lust or indulgence. 
The law of God becomes the rule of life, his service the 
business of life, and his glory the great end of living. 

An inward and effectual change, evinced by the exer- 
cises and temper now specified, will ultimately be pro- 
ductive of great inward peace, arising from a sense of 
pardoned guilt, of reconciliation with God through Jesus 
Christ, and from his love shed abroad in the heart by 
the Holy Ghost. Outwardly, this change will be mani- 
fested by a scrupulous and exemplary discharge of eve- 
ry duty which is due both to God and man — a discharge 
of duty proceeding from love and obedience to Him who 
has enjoined it, and from a desire " to adorn the doc- 
trine of God our Saviour in all things.' 



» 



DISCOURSE VIL 165 

The import, then, of the precept, u Hemember thy 
Creator," is nothing less than an injunction to regard 
and reduce to practice, all that is comprised in the sum- 
mary exhibition of genuine vital piety which has just 
been given. And as no religion short of this will save 
the soul, you will carefully keep in mind that in pleading 
with you to enter on a life of religion, it is a religion of 
this character and extent, that I always have in view. 
Lend me your serious attention, therefore, while I en- 
deavour 

II. To specify and urge some important considera- 
tions which should engage you, who are now a in the 
days of your youth," to yield to the precept in the text 
an immediate and cheerful obedience. 

Let it claim your particular regard that, in the pre- 
cept we consider, the word now is peculiarly emphatick. 
u Remember nozv thy Creator in the days of thy 
youth" — now before the fleeting period of youth be past; 
now " while the evil days come not, nor the years draw 
nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them ;" 
now j without thinking of evasion or a moment's delay. 

Be reminded, too, that what I have said, in regard to 
the influence of the Holy Spirit and the aids of grace be- 
ing concerned in the conversion of the soul, is by no 
means to be considered as discouraging attention and ex- 
ertion, on your part. So far is this, indeed, from fur- 
nishing a reason against laying motives before you, and 
urging you to consider them, that it affords the most 



166 DISCOURSE VII. 

powerful encouragement, both for me to speak and for you 
to hear. The doctrine of our dependence on the grace 
of God, ought ever to be viewed in an encouraging 
light ; as inspiring hope, by pointing us to an Almighty 
Helper. Divine influence is not a blind impulse. It is 
God's own appointment that his grace should be looked 
for in the use of means. It operates along with considera- 
tions and motives addressed to our reason and conscience. 
While these considerations and motives are candidly and 
seriously pondered, divine grace inclines the will and 
affections, renewed by its power, sweetly to consent and 
obey — to choose and act aright. Endeavour, therefore, 
to open your minds to the full influence of truth ; and 
lift up your hearts, at this moment, in fervent aspirations 
for the presence and assistance of the Holy Spirit, that 
you may hear effectually — sensible that you are hearing 
for the life of your souls. 

1. The first consideration to which I would direct 
your attention, as calculated to engage you to enter on a 
life of true religion in your youth, is the reasonableness 
of the thing itself. Bend your whole attention to this 
for a moment. Say if it is not fit, and proper and ration- 
al, that the God who gave you all your powers, and made 
you capable of his service, love and enjoyment, should 
have those powers occupied in loving and serving Him, 
as soon as they are capable of this employment. Say if 
the reverse of this is not most unreasonable, base and 
rebellious. Is it not both irrational and wicked, in a ve- 
ry high degree, that you should give all the first exer- 



DISCOURSE VII. 167 

tions and affections of your minds to objects which rival 
your Creator; which exalt themselves into his place, 
and are directly opposed to his claims and authority ? 
To whom but to the God who made you, the Saviour 
who died for you, and the Sanctifier who must prepare 
you — if ever you are prepared — for heaven, should the 
morning incense of your whole souls be offered ? With 
what language shall I show the reasonableness, and per- 
suade you to the resolution, of making God your first 
love ? You cannot deliberately intend to remain his ene- 
mies, and perish forever. Oh, then, be not so infatuated, 
so ungrateful, so impious, so unutterably base, as to re- 
fuse Him your hearts, till they shall, for a season, have 
been prostituted to the love of sin and the service of Sa- 
tan! To God your Maker, let all your mental powers 
be consecrated, from the period of their earliest exercise. 
On this your ultimate salvation may depend. For 

2. The faculties of the human mind are more happily 
adapted to religious exercises and duties in youth, than 
they usually are in after life. In youth the affections 
are more warm and tender, the conscience is more sensi- 
ble and easily impressed, the rational faculty is more 
fresh and active, and the whole mind is more fair and 
less biassed against truth and duty, than it almost ever 
is at any subsequent period. From these circumstan- 
ces, the principles of piety commonly find in the youth- 
ful mind a soil most favourable to their radication, 
growth and fruitfulness. At whatever period, indeed, 
the " good seed" may be sown, it will never " spring up 



168 DISCOURSE VII. 

and bring forth fruity" unless it be quickened and cher- 
ished by the power of divine grace ; and this effect, we 
admit, could as readily be produced by that God with 
whom all possible things are equally easy, in the old and 
rocky heart, as in the heart that is youthful and soft. 
But the God of nature is the God of grace ; and both in 
nature and in grace, he commonly operates according to 
the fitness of things, and in a regular order established 
by himself. By his order youth is fitted and intended 
for improvement of every kind ; for improvement in mo- 
rals and piety, as well as in understanding and knowl- 
edge ; and in youth, accordingly, the life giving power 
and effectual culture of his grace are oftenest witnessed. 
It is an indisputable fact, that of those who become pi- 
ous, a large majority of the whole number become so be- 
fore they are far advanced in life. 

If then you would avail yourselves of an advantage iu 
seeking the favour of God, from his own appointment, 
and from the very constitution of your nature, you must 
do it now — now before your hearts are doubly hardened 
and perverted by the habits and the deceitfulness of sin. 
You will be most likely to attain genuine piety, and to 
attain it with the least pain and difficulty, if you seek it 
in youth ; and if the attainment be now made, you will 
perform the duties of religion far more comfortably and 
advantageously, than if this great concern be delayed 
till you reach a more advanced age. This will more 
fully appear, by considering 



DISCOURSE VII. 169 

3. That in youth there is a freedom from that pres- 
sure of worldly business and cares, and from a thousand 
unavoidable avocations, which commonly occupy and en- 
gross the attention, when men have entered on active or 
professional life. Then, indeed, the cares of the world 
generally render it extremely difficult to keep up that 
fervour of piety which had previously been excited — To 
enkindle the flame is, often, in these circumstances, 
scarcely practicable. 

With youth who have occasionally some serious im- 
pressions of religion, while yet the love of pleasure or 
the lure of ambition sways their minds, it is, I know, a 
favourite notion, which often serves to lull their con- 
sciences, that when they shall be established in business 
and settled in families, they will find a period far more 
advantageous than the present, for devoting themselves 
to the service of God. This is, in various respects, 
an awful delusion. Presumptuous youth! Your Ma- 
ker requires you now to remember him. And do you 
deliberately resolve to remain, for years to come, in a 
state of disobedience to his command ? Do you not know 
that u God is angry with the wicked every day V? and 
should not this awaken your fears, that you may be cut off 
in your sins, before the time which you have allotted for his 
service shall arrive ? Have you not seen some examples, 
for they frequently occur, of this alarming dispensation ? 
Examples of those who have been hurried out of life, be- 
fore the time had come which they had proposed and 



170 DISCOURSE VII. 

promised to devote to religion ? And will you, in the 
face of such examples, venture on this tremendous risk ? 
Have you not, also, heard already in this address, and 
do you not believe, that the influences of divine grace 
must be afforded to you, if you ever truly repent of your 
sins and turn to God ? And have you not great cause to 
fear, if you systematically resolve on continuing to offend 
Him for a season, that he may give you up to that final 
hardness of heart and searedness of conscience, which 
will as certainly be followed by perdition, as if it were 
already sealed by death and judgment ? Alas ! how ma- 
ny have I known— for my observation has long been 
directed to this very point — how many have I known 
who in youth seemed to be u not far from the kingdom 
of God," but who were seduced from pressing into it, some 
by one temptation, and some by another, till they became 
at length hardened in impenitence. Some of them have 
already passed into eternity; some of them yet live; 
and some are, at this hour, numbered among infidels or 
scepticks. Let me warn and entreat you, to shun a 
course of such unspeakable peril — " Grieve not the Holy 
Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of 
redemption." 

But even on the supposition that your life shall be 
prolonged to the period which you have assigned for re- 
ligion, and that the strivings of the Spirit of grace 
shall also be continued— for God is a sovereign, and it 
belongs not to us to pronounce with certainty on the limits 
of his forbearance and grace — still there is every reason 



DISCOURSE VII. 171 

to believe that it will be far more difficult, then, than 
now, to enter on a life of devotion and piety. The 
oppression of worldly care and professional business, 
the deceitfulness of riches, the society and opinions 
of worldly men, the unpleasantness of making a change 
of character and adopting new habits of life, and , 
the influence of family connexions decidedly hos- 
tile to religion, may all conspire to increase the diffi- 
culty we contemplate. They often have conspired, 
and some of these causes always will operate, to cre- 
ate obstacles, which require resolution and exertion of 
the most vigorous and determined kind to surmount or 
remove, from those who have to commence, if they ever 
do commence, a life of true religion., after they are im- 
mersed in the world. 

On the whole, my young friends, be assured, as the 
result of much observation, that you are never likely to 
find so favourable an opportunity to attend effectually to 
the concerns of your souls, as you now have, within the 
walls of this house ; and that you have serious cause to 
apprehend, if you go from this house without religion^ 
that you will go through life and into eternity without it. 
" Behold, now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the 
day of salvation- — To day if ye will hear his voice, har- 
den not your hearts. " 

4. Another motive or consideration, which should de- 
termine the young to remember their Creator in the 
days of their youth is ; that by so doing they will obtain 



Y7% DISCOURSE VII. 

the best and most satisfying evidence of the sincerity 
and reality of their religion. 

There are seasons in the lives of almost all men, in 
which the mind turns on serious subjects, and looks to 
religion for consolation. But alas ! melancholy experi- 
ence demonstrates that all seriousness is not religion. 
In hours of danger and distress, or disgust at the world, 
thousands have professed, in the most solemn manner, 
and apparently with the most honest intention, to devote 
themselves to God, who have discovered, after all, that 
their hearts, although wounded, were not changed: for as 
soon as the cause that seemed to render religion necessa- 
ry was removed, their seriousness vanished with it. All 
their goodness was "as the early cloud and as the morning 
dew." The sun of health, or pleasure, or prosperity, 
converted it into vapour and scattered it to the winds. 
The knowledge of this has grievously distressed some, 
who have given the best evidence that affliction had been 
the season, or age the period of life, in which they had 
been brought home to God. " Ah ! — says the afflicted 
penitent — how many have there been who in distress 
promised as fairly, and seemed to think as seriously as 
I do now ; and yet all was temporary, all delusive ? How 
can I know that I am at heart better than they ! How 
can I be certain that I am sincere!" — "What evidence 
have I — says the hoary headed penitent — that I truly 
love God, and am not merely cloyed with the world ! 
I did not choose religion till the world had, in a mea- 
sure, lost its relish. The best part of my days, at any 



DISCOURSE VII. 173 

rate, has been spent in disobedience to God. I can offer 
him only the remnant of life, and the leavings of sin; and 
I fear that it is by mere constraint that I profess to make 
even this offering." 

Those who have the least cause for these fears and 
jealousies of their sincerity, are the very persons who 
are the most apt to indulge them. And is it not desira- 
ble, my young friends, to escape the pain and perplexity 
of such a state of mind as this ? Is it not desirable, not 
only to be truly pious, but to have the comfort of it too ? 
If so, embrace religion while you are young. If you vol- 
untarily choose it, while you are in youth and in health ; — •• 
if when the world flatters, when the opportunity of sin- 
ful indulgence favours, when depraved appetite vehe- 
mently prompts, when all the enemies of your souls as- 
sail you with advantage ; — if in these circumstances you 
choose the ways of true piety and godliness, you will 
have every possible evidence that you are sincere ; that 
your hearts are given to God, and that your interest in 
his favour is sure. This advantage you now have, and 
you will not have it at a future day : if you lose it now 
it is lost forever. Yes, if you prefer God before the 
world, when the world is most inviting and attractive, 
you obtain an evidence that he is supreme in your affec- 
tions, which otherwise you cannot have. Then, in the 
hour of danger and distress, he will be your sweet and 
comfortable refuge. You will go to him with a filial con- 
fidence. If spared to advanced life, when "the evil 
days come, and the years draw nigh when you shall say 



174 DISCOURSE VII. 

I have no pleasure in them/' you will have the satisfac- 
tion to know that in better days than these, you made 
the Lord your portion ; and you will have the support- 
ing assurance that " he will not cast you off in time of 
old age." 

I cannot, indeed, adopt the unqualified language which 
some use, when they talk about the good deeds of a well 
spent life comforting an aged christian in the view of 
eternity ; because I know assuredly that it must be, not 
his own merits, but the merits of his Saviour, that must 
afford him solid comfort then ; yet this I may say, that a 
life of piety is the very best evidence that our union with 
Christ is real and sure. In this view exactly, it is men- 
tioned by the Apostle — (i l am now ready to be offered, 
and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought 
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the 
faith ; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of 
righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall 
give unto me at that day." 

In a word, a life of piety begun in youth, from the cir- 
cumstances of its commencement, and from the opportuni- 
ty it affords to grow in grace, to be useful in the world, and 
to gain experience in religion, affords the best advantage 
for obtaining certainty, in a concern wherein certainty is 
most of all desirable ; certainty that the soul is safe ; 
certainty that everlasting happiness is your's. Incon- 
siderate youth! what would you not give to have your 
happiness for this world insured ? Behold, I point you 
out a way to insure it for eternity ! 



DISCOURSE VII. 175 

5. What has just been said receives much force, from 
the consideration that early piety is, in every view, pro- 
ductive of pleasure and satisfaction, through life. This 
is a consideration suggested by Moses the man of God. 
In his remarkable prayer for the children of his people he 
says « O satisfy us early with thy mercy, that we may 
be glad and rejoice all our days." Solomon recognizes 
the truth of the same doctrine when he says — "Wis- 
dom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths 
are peace." And the Apostle Paul adds his testimony 
to the rest — "Godliness is profitable unto all things, hav- 
ing the promise of the life that now is, and of that which 
is to come." But although this sentiment be thus pow- 
erfully fortified by the authority of scripture, its justice 
is admitted by youth with more difficulty than almost 
any other. Religion, they will allow, is advantageous 
for a future world, but not for the present. "You may 
speak, say they, of its insuring happiness hereafter; but 
we cannot concede that it is favourable to present plea- 
sure." Nay, I suspect there is scarcely another idea 
which the adversary of souls presses on young minds so 
frequently and successfully as this, that religion would 
destroy their pleasures ; or that it would prove hostile to 
their worldly interests. Let me beg your candid atten- 
tion, then, for a few minutes to an argument on the point ; 
and afterward judge for yourselves. 

Shall I begin with speaking of persecution? To that 
persecution which destroys life and property, we, at pre- 
sent, are happily not exposed. But if we were, I should 



176 DISCOURSE VII. 

tell you, that where religion has produced one martyr, 
the want of it has produced a multitude. Vice has her 
martyrs, and she has sacrificed at her shrine a hundred 
victims of sensual pleasure and lawless indulgence, where 
adherence to religion has been the cause of death to an 
individual. The victims of vice, too, have expired by 
deaths unspeakably more distressing, than the holy mar- 
tyrs of evangelical truth have experienced. Do you 
think that the bloated wretch, who drags out a miserable 
existence of years of lassitude, langour, disgust and pain, 
the effects of intemperance and debauchery, and at last 
dies without hope — Do you think, I say, that the sum of 
this man's sufferings — leaving eternity out of view — is 
not unspeakably greater, than the amount of his who, 
with heaven in prospect, dies on a scaffold, or is consum- 
ed at the stake ? I leave the answer to yourselves. 

To the hatred of the profane, the sneer of the ungodly, 
and the persecution of the tongue, you must expect to be 
exposed, if you become truly pious ; for u All that will 
live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 
But is not the hatred and the sneer of unreasonable men 
easier to be born, than the agonizing remorse of your 
own consciences? Is it not more tolerable that the tongues 
of wicked men should persecute you for doing your duty, 
than that the prayers, the tears, the admonitions, and 
the entreaties of your pious parents and friends, should 
reproach you for neglecting it? And are you not 
chargeable with pusilanimity and inconsistency, if cen- 
sure from those who differ from vou on common sub* 



DISCOURSE vii it? 

jects affects you but little, and yet you are found to shrink 
from the revilings of a wretched infidel, or an impious 
blasphemer ? 

Or will you suggest that religion is the nurse of gloom 
and timidity ? The justice of such a suggestion I must 
explicitly deny. Religion, like every thing else, has beeii 
abused, and the best things, when abused, usually be- 
come the worst. But religion, in its genuine spirit, is 
the consoler of the dejected: and, taken in experience^ 
it is constantly found to be the cordial which keeps the 
souls of pious men from sinking, Under distresses that 
overwhelm those who are not supported by its powerful 
and sacred influence. 

Or do any of you suppose that true piety is unfavoura- 
ble to a reputable standing in society? Nothing is more 
contrary than this, both to reason and experience; Re- 
ligion in all ages and countries, has been considered as 
the guard of Integrity and confidence* Without her 
oaths and sanctions society cannot exist. Hypocrisy it- 
self bears testimony to the excellence of religion, in in- 
spiring respect and confidence. Knaves become hypo 
Writes that they may be trusted. Their pretence is de- 
testable, but it proves that genuine piety is of acknow- 
ledged value, for nothing that is base is ever counter 
feited. Let a man be believed to be really and deeply 
under the influence of religious principle, and he is 
trusted without reserve. It gives a dignity and a weight 
to his character which nothing else can confer, 

A 2 



17& DISCOURSE VII. 

Religion too is friendly to industry. Industry, indeed, 
is a part of religion. " He that provideth not for his own 
household," says an inspired apostle "hath denied the 
faith and is worse than an infidel." Now character, 
confidence, and industry, are confessedly favourable to 
wordly prosperity, and they are all unquestionably pro- 
moted by religion. 

That religion preserves from vice and moderates the 
passions, is implied in its nature and name. A vicious 
christian is a perfect solicism. An ambitious, proud, re- 
vengeful, drunken, unclean, profligate christian, is lan- 
guage of which every one instantly perceives the absur- 
dity. And does religion afford the best guard against 
all the evils that vice and intemperate passions and ap- 
petites produce ? Assuredly it does. Look round then 
upon the world, and when you see — as you certainly may 
see — that the greater part of all the miseries of human 
nature proceed from these causes, confess that the rem- 
edy of these evils,— -a remedy which heals the very foun- 
tain of them in the human heart, — cannot be hurtful to 
happiness, but must abundantly increase it. 

Neither is religion injurious to the accumulation of 
property, to the comfortable enjoyment of our posses- 
sions, nor to a participation in any rational pleasure. The 
limits which it sets and the restraints which it imposes, 
in regard to these particulars, are precisely those which 
reason itself prescribes to every prudent man. Religion 
forbids avarice, but it also forbids prodigality. The be- 
weficence and charity which it requires, are unspeakably 



DISCOURSE Vfl. 179 

a lighter tax than that which dissipation and sinful in- 
dulgence levy on their votaries. The pleasure too, which 
arises from doing good with our substance to the bodies 
and the souls of men, is far greater than that which ar- 
rises from splendor of equipage, from the indulgence of 
animal appetite, or even from the imitative arts. 

Every gratification and pleasure of the senses, which 
does not weaken, degrade, or injure our nature, nor in- 
trude on more important concerns and pleasures, religion 
permits. And who, that values himself on being raised 
above the level of the brutes, would wish for more than 
this ? To " crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts," 
Christianity certainly requires; but this self command 
and self denial are really conducive to the greatest en- 
joyment on the whole. They render him, who complies 
with the precept, infinitely happier than the slave of ap- 
petite, even when appetite can be indulged. That man 
has not yet learned the laws of his nature, any more 
than the laws of the gospel, who does not know that mod- 
eration, forbearance, and even a degree of abstinence, is 
necessary to the highest gratification of his senses. 

To all the pleasures of friendship and society true pi- 
ety is peculiarly favourable. There is something in that 
softening which genuine religion gives to the heart, or af- 
fections, which peculiarly qualifies its possessor to be a 
friend. So true is this, and so much verified by expe- 
rience, that I would beg you to make the observation for 
yourselves, whether in the sphere of your own acquain- 
tance, the warmest, the tenderest, the most lasting, and 



180 DISCOURSE VII. 

the most valuable friendships are not found among per- 
sons of piety, of both sexes and of every age. 

Neither* in t^his place, is it improper to repeat the ob- 
servation of one who had seen much of human nature 
and human life,* namely — that all that politeness and 
courtesy of manners, which bears so high a value in the 
world, is only the outward expression, and too often a 
mere expression, of that humanity, meekness, kindness, 
and benevolence of heart, which the gospel requires. 
To govern the heart and life, therefore, by the spirit and 
requisitions of the gospel, will give that very deportment 
which constitutes true politeness, in every thing but ar- 
bitrary forms and gracefulness of carriage. 

But returning to things of more importance, how ne- 
cessary is religion, both to dignity and happiness, in dan- 
ger, disease and approaching death, Danger and death, 
I grant, are frequently braved without religion. But in 
every such instance, however a thoughtless world may 
dignify the daring deed with the appellation of heroism, 
reason and revelation pronounce it madness. To be fear- 
less of eternal perdition, is never an exercise of rational 
courage, Yet, after all, the most of those who, unaided 
by religion, encounter imminent danger without dismay, 
do it on the calculation, or in the hope, that their good 
fortune, as they call it, will bear them safely through : 
Or else, their spirits are excited and supported by the 
animating influence of active and interesting scenes. 
|Vf any a man has been, like Cromwell, a dauntless soldier 

* Prince of Conti. 



DISCOURSE VII. 181 

on the field of battle, who has been dreadfully terrified 
when he came to look deliberately into eternity, from a 
sick and dying bed. With few exceptions, when the 
hope of life is taken away, he who is unsupported by re- 
ligion w r ill tremble, as well he may; and he who is truly 
pious will then lose his previous fears, and be calm, if 
not triumphant. On the whole, therefore, that serenity 
and inward peace which genuine christian faith produces, 
by satisfying the believer that in all situations and events 
he is safe, must manifestly have a powerful influence in 
promoting the general happiness of life, and especially 
in seasons and circumstances of alarm and peril. 

To comfort the afflicted is an office that the world itself 
commonly assigns to religion. It is indeed difficult for 
religion to perform this office when it is resorted to only 
in affliction; but when early piety has proved religion to 
be sincere, it is in affliction a comforter indeed — Ah ! my 
dear youth, your anticipations of futurity often resemble 
the dreams of Joseph. He dreamed of his prosperity 
but not of his adversity— He dreamed that his brethren 
should bow down before him, and that his parents should 
do him homage. But he never dreamed of the cruel 
hatred of his brethren, the loss of his liberty, the effects 
of slander and jealousy, the gloom of a prison and the 
danger of an ignominious death. In like manner, but 
without his unerring guidance, you often picture to your- 
selves the pleasing prospects that, as you believe, lie 
before you; and you love to leave out, or to cast into 
shade, all the sorrows, and sufferings, and trials of life. 



182 DISCOURSE VII. 

But you ought to be apprised, that if you live, it will not 
be long before you will find that to have support in dis- 
tress, to have a balsam for a bleeding heart, is one of the 
most desirable of all possessions. This medicine of the 
soul you will ask philosophy in vain to administer. It must 
be found in "the balm of Giiead," applied by "the 
physician there." The efficacy of atoning blood, and 
the sympathy of that Saviour who, by shedding it, has 
reconciled the sinner to his God, and who is constantly 
"touched with the feeling of our infirmities," will be 
found a precious remedy for a wounded spirit, when the 
world has lost all its power to relieve or soothe. To be 
comforted by the love and favour of a covenant God in 
Christ, wjien all earthly comforts fail, and so comfor- 
ted, "to rejoice in tribulation," is the high privilege of 
the christian believer alone. 

But now, in addition to all this, remember that reli- 
gion has, at all times, joys and pleasures of her own. 
Hope is the solace of human life. He who has the lar- 
gest and best founded hopes is the happiest man. What 
think yqu then of the hope of the gospel ? What think 
you of the happiness of him who habitually and assu- 
redly hopes, after all the joys and sorrow of this fleet- 
ing and shadowy state are past like a fugitive vision, to 
receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away ; to see 
God as lie is ; to be the companion of saints and angels : 
to grow in the capacity of enjoyment, and to have that 
capacity filled with unutterable bliss, to all eternity? 
What think you of such a hope? Is the situation of the 




DISCOURSE VII. 183 

meanest saint who possesses it, to be compared with that 
of the most splendid sinner who wants it ? Is the state 
of him who is afraid of hell, or if not afraid, constantly 
in danger of it, to be compared with his who cherishes 
an humble confidence that he is a sure candidate for 
heaven? Believe me, this hope of the christian fre- 
quently produces a present joy and peace, which are 
literally unspeakable ; which are " exceeding great and 
full of glory, " When the light of God's countenance is 
lifted on the soul, when his love is shed abroad in the 
heart, when the Saviour is beheld in his fullness and the 
believer embraces him in faith, when the divine glory is 
seen in the plan of salvation as ineffable and Overwhel- 
ming, and when all the soul goes forth unto God its ex- 
ceeding joy — then the christian experiences a felici- 
ty, one moment of which he would not exchange for 
ages of sensual delight. He will tell you that there is 
nothing on earth which deserves the name of happiness 
in comparison with this ; that he never knew what hap- 
piness was till he tasted of this ; that this fills the soul 
in all the extent of its powers and energies, and sweetly 
constrains it to exclaim, " Whom have I in heaven but 
thee, and there is none on earth that I desire besides 
thee." 

Thus, have I argued this point, and shown you, I 
think conclusively, that it is a just consideration and a 
powerful motive, to choose religion early, because it wilt 
increase and insure your happiness through the whole 
of subsequent life. Yes, I repeat it, I urge you to be- 



184 DISCOURSE VII. 

come pious that you may be happy, in those various 
scenes and circumstances which may await you in your 
whole passage through the world. Be this passage longer 
or shorter — whether you live to old age, or die at an 
earlier period, there is nothing which will, at all times, 
and in all imaginable situations, contribute so much to 
your peace, your contentment, your respectability, your 
support, consolation and comfort, as unfeigned piety, 
reigning in the heart and governing all the life and . 
conversation. 

6. Another motive, or consideration, that should induce 
you to remember your Creator in the days of your youth 
is, that God has made peculiar promises to those who 
do so. 

Unsanctified sinners, who have no just knowledge of 
God or of themselves, are apt to suppose that they may 
certainly obtain sanctifying grace and become truly pi- 
ous, at any period that they may see fit to assign for the 
purpose. It is on this supposition that those unqualified 
promises of amendment and piety are made, which we 
sometimes hear from profligate men, when they are pres- 
sed by danger ; and it is on the same ground that all 
those calculations of future repentance are founded, with 
which thousands, as you have already heard, deceive 
and ruin their immortal souls. They forget that their 
nature is depraved throughout; that to change their 
hearts must be the work of God ; that faith and repen- 
tance are his gifts, and that they will never feel any 
thing but an insurmountable reluctance to attend to their 



DISCOURSE VII. 185 

immortal interests, unless God shall be pleased to give 
them the inclination, and to help them by his grace. They 
forget all this, and full of a presumptuous reliance on 
themselves, they make engagements in their own 
strength, and form plans to offend their Maker, and 
provoke him to withhold that very grace which is ab- 
solutely necessary to the execution of their promises 
or purposes. He who has right views of religion knows 
that it is all a system of sovereign mercy, and that he 
must rely on the grace and promise of God, for all that 
he can hope to be or to do* 

Here, then, is my argument— God hath said — u they 
who seek me early shall find^me." It is of infinite ad- 
vantage to have this promise in your favour ; you have it 
in early life, and you will not have it afterwards. If 
you avail yourself of it now, you may go to God, and 
humbly plead his own gracious declaration. He al- 
lows, he is pleased with this. You may tell Him that 
you rely on his own word, " on which he hath caused 
you to hope ;" — that by special offers and engagements 
he has mercifully condescended to encourage and invite 
young persons to seek his favour; that you desire to 
make an argument of this in your own case ; that you 
are now young, and would by his assistance and grace 
be consecrated and devoted to his service, glory and 
praise ; and that you now look to Him to make good to 
you the precious assurance, that those who seek him 
early shall find him, Oh ! lose not this advantage, I en- 

B2 



186 DISCOURSE VII. 

treat you. Did you know how valuable a special prom- 
ise of God appears to a soul which feels its guilt and its 
danger, you would think it an unspeakable privilege to 
have one exactly suited, as this is, to your state and 
circumstances. Risk not the danger of being brought 
into a situation, in which you may be harrassed with 
awful fears of the divine dereliction — fears that you will 
never find what you seek. Now you are assured that 
if you seek, with humility, and earnestness, and perse- 
verance, you shall certainly find— find a reconciled God f 
and an eternal friend and portion. How great is this 
encouragement ? Embrace it immediately, with earnest- 
ness and gratitude. > 

7. Another motive or consideration which urges to 
early piety is, that it affords the prospect of a higher 
degree of happiness in the world of glory. 

The state of celestial glory is represented in the New- 
Testament as an inheritance — " an inheritance incorrup- 
tible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved 
in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God 
through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in 
the last time." This inheritance is the purchase and 
legacy of the Redeemer, and as such all his people re L 
ceive it ; and not, in any sense or degree, as what they 
have merited for themselves. Yet, in apportioning this 
inheritance, in bestowing a reward perfectly gratuitous, 
the richest allotment and the highest honours will be 
assigned to those who have loved and laboured most. 
We are told expressly, that "those who turn many to 



DISCOURSE VII. 187 

righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever," 
and that " as one star differeth from another star in 
glory, so also shall it be at the resurrection of the dead." 
The whole parable of our Lord, in regard to those who 
received different talents, and who occupied with them 
or neglected them, goes likewise to confirm the idea, that 
future rewards will be proportioned to present advant- 
ages, exertions and improvements. 

If, then, you begin the love and service of God in ear- 
ly life, you become candidates for distinction in the man- 
sions of heaven. You may, indeed, die in early life, 
and in this event you will be safe and glorious. But if 
you are spared, and are diligent, active, and zealous in 
your Lord's service, you will, through endless ages, 
share in that " far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
glory," which is reserved for those who shall have done 
and suffered much for Christ, This is a consideration 
which, perhaps, you may never before have taken into 
view ; but it is manifestly both just and important. Are 
the distinctions of this world the object of ambition? Do 
they now fill you with emulation, and kindle the ardent 
desires of your minds ? This day I propose to you dis- 
tinctions of an infinitely higher order; distinctions 
among the inhabitants of heaven; distinctions in the 
ranks of saints and angels, Here is an object for the ef- 
forts of a holy magnanimity, the contemplation of which 
may well make your souls burn within you. Enter early 
into the service of God ; enlist this day under the great 
captain of salvation, and not only will he bring you off 



18$ DISCOURSE VII. 

" conquerors and more than conquerors" over all your 
enemies, but you will be candidates for those palms of 
triumph, and those high and holy preferments in his 
heavenly kingdom, which are awarded to his most active 
servants and most zealous and faithful friends. 

Let us now for a moment review the motives and con- 
siderations which have been specified. They are these 
— -I have shown you that the early devotion of yourselves 
to the service of God is a thing perfectly reasonable in 
itself — That in youth the faculties of the mind are most 
happily adapted to the reception and the exercises of 
genuine piety — That then the mind is not burdened with 
those cares, engrossed with that business, nor exhausted 
with those anxieties and exertions, which are likely after- 
wards to occur— That early piety will give you the best 
evidence that your religion is genuine — That it will also 
qualify you to pass the whole of your after life with the 
greatest satisfaction, advantage and pleasure — That God 
has made peculiar promises to those who seek him early 
~-~And that, by entering on a life of religion in youth, you 
may become candidates for a higher state of glory and 
reward than you might otherwise attain, in the heavenly 
world. These considerations have been addressed — as 
all the considerations of true religion are addressed — to 
reason, to conscience, to a sense of gratitude and duty, 
to the judgment, the will and the aifections. They all 
conspire to show you that you ought to choose, and to 
persuade yoti actually to choose, to devote yourselves to 
God. 



DISCOURSE VII. 189 

But I am now, in concluding my address, to press on 
your undivided attention, what has constantly been sup- 
posed and occasionally inculcated, that this is not a mat- 
ter in which you may choose on the one side or the other, 
as inclination may prompt, without any responsibility for 
the decision you make. No, verily — Let me speak it and 
you hear it with the deepest solemnity — it is the command 
of Almighty God, that you remember him in the days of 
your youth. It is a positive precept of the Lord Jeho- 
vah, that is now claiming your attention. He commands 
like a wise and equitable parent, he commands what is 
right, and reasonable, and for your own benefit, as has 
been fully shown. But he uses authority, as well as rea- 
son and persuasion. Be it, then, most deeply impressed 
on your minds, that if you this hour refuse to give your- 
selves to the Lord, and every day and hour that you 
shall refuse it, you will incur the awful guilt and danger 
of disobeying an explicit command of the most high God. 
You are his creatures, and he has the most perfect right, 
the most unquestionable and unlimited authority, to re- 
quire that you give your hearts and services to Him, in 
the morning of life. He actually does require it : And 
I ask of you — and consider me as asking you, as partic- 
ularly as if I called each of you by his proper name — 
whether you are prepared for an act of direct disobedi- 
ence to the God who made you. If you are, the conse- 
quences will be inexpressibly fearful. You will remain 
under the divine displeasure, during the whole period of 
your disobedience. You will, every moment, be in dan- 



190 DISCOURSE VIL 

ger of being cut off in your sins, and sent down to the 
abodes of eternal woe. If spared in life, you will 
still be in danger of growing more and more hardened 
in sin, of being left, in the righteous displeasure of God, 
to be filled with your own devices — to fill up the measure 
of your iniquities, and at last to perish with a more ag- 
gravated condemnation. Ah ! why have I spent so much 
time on other and lower considerations ? When we know 
what God commands, we have no need to reason, and no 
right to hesitate. Young people of my charge, you must 
remember your Creator — You must now remember him^ 
or his wrath abideth on you — And to think of living con- 
stantly under the frowns of the Eternal ; constantly in 
danger of perishing forever — the mind cannot bear it, 
the thought is intolerable ! Hasten then to a compas- 
sionate and inviting Saviour. Behold I now present to 
you Christ Jesus, in the offer of the gospel, standing 
with open arms to receive you ; and inviting you, by 
every tender and by every awful consideration, to come 
to Him for life and salvation. I conjure you, without 
a moment's delay, to accept his invitation. By his un- 
utterable dying love, by the precious blood which he 
shed for your redemption, by all the worth of your 
own undying souls, by the fears of hell and the hopes 
of heaven, I conjure you — I conjure you this moment 
to form the solemn resolution, in a reliance on his grace 
and strength, that you will henceforth earnestly seek, 
till you satisfactorily find a saving interest in the dear 
Redeemer. May God of his mercy grant that this res- 



DISCOURSE VIL 191 

olution may be formed in each of your hearts, and that 
you may now rise and accompany me to the throne 
of his grace, in fervent prayer that he may enable you 
to carry it into full effect ! Let us pray. 



DISCOURSE VIII. 



THE MAN OF FALSE HONOUR 



MARK VI. 26. 

u And the king was exceeding sorry ; yet for his oaths' 
sake, and for their sakes xvhich sat with him, he 
xvoidd not reject herP 

JL HE world has seldom witnessed an exhibition of de- 
pravity more shocking, than that which is described in 
the narrative of which these words are a part. John, 
the fore-runner of Christ, with a fidelity and firmness 
becoming his character, had pointedly reproved Herod 
Antipas, king, or Tetrarch, of a part of Jewry, for a 
most flagitious immorality. Herod, as the historian Jo- 
sephus informs us, had, without any just cause, divorced 
his lawful wife, and taken from her husband Herodiasj 
the wife of his brother Philip, and espoused her as his 
own. On this, the Baptist, regardless of the monarch's 
authority or displeasure, had given him a plain and se- 
vere reproof. He said — "It is not lawful for thee to 
have thy brother's wife. Therefore," continues the 
Evangelist, " Herodias had a quarrel against him, and 

would have killed him, but she could not. For Herod 

C2 



194 DISCOURSE VIII. 

feared John, knowing that he was a just man and a holy> 
and observed him, and when he heard him, he did many 
things and heard him gladly. And when a convenient 
day was come, that Herod on his birth day made a sup- 
per to his lords, high captains and chief estates of Gal- 
ilee : and when the daughter of the said Herodias came 
in and danced, and pleased Herod and them that were 
with him, the king said unto the damsel, ask of me 
whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give thee. And he sware 
unto her — whatsoever thou shalt ask of me I will give it 
thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth 
and said unto her mother — What shall I ask ? and she 
said, the head of John the Baptist. And she came in 
straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, 
I will that thou give me by and by, in a charger, the 
head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding 
sorry, yet for his oaths' sake, and for their sakes who 
sat with him, he woulft not reject her. And immediate- 
ly the king sent an executioner, and commanded his 
head to be brought : and he went and beheaded him in 
the prison ; and brought his head in a charger, and gave 
it to the damsel : and the damsel gave it to her mother/ v 
What an unparralleled scene of complicated wicked- 
ness and cruelty is here ! I cannot proceed to the 
discussion of the text, till I have given you the admi- 
rable and eloquent remarks of Dr. Doddridge, on this 
horrible transaction. "We see," says Doddridge, 
"in this dreadful instance of Herodias, what an im- 
placable degree of malice may arise in the hearts 



DISCOURSE VIII. 195 

of sinners, on being reproved for the most scandalous 
and mischievous vices. Instead of owning the obliga- 
tion to one that would have plucked her as a brand out 
of the burning, she thirsts insatiably for his blood; and 
chooses rather to indulge her cruelty and revenge in ta- 
king away his life, than to gratify her avarice and ambi- 
tion in demanding a gift, that might have been equal to 
the half of a kingdom. 

But how mysterious was that providence which left 
the life of so holy a man in such infamous hands, and 
permitted it to be sacrificed to the malice of an abandon- 
ed harlot, to the petulancy of a vain girl, and to the 
rashness of a foolish and perhaps an intoxicated prince^ 
who made the prophet's head the reward of a dance ! 
The ways of God are unsearchable ! but we are sure he 
can never be at a loss to repay his servants in another 
world for the greatest sufferings they endure in this, and 
even for life itself, when given up in his cause. 

We may reasonably conclude that death could never 
be an unseasonable surprise to this excellent saint* When 
the executioner came into the prison by night, perhaps 
breaking in upon his slumbers, and executed his bloody 
commission almost as soon as he declared it, a soul like 
his might welcome the stroke, as the means of liberty 
and glory ; assured that the transient agony of a moment 
would transmit it to a kingdom, where the least of its in- 
habitants would be in holiness, honour, and felicity, su- 
perior to John, in his most prosperous and successful 
state on earth. 



196 DISCOURSE VIIL 

His enemies might a while insult over him, while his 
disciples were mingling their tears with his dust, and la- 
menting the residue of his days cut off in the midst. 
But his death was precious in the sight of the Lord, and 
the triumphing of the wicked was short. So will he ere 
long plead the cause of all his injured people, and give a 
cup of trembling and astonishment to those that have 
made themselves drunk with their blood. Let cruelty 
and tyranny do their worst, verily there is a reward for 
the righteous, verily there is a God that judgeth in the 
earthP 

After these impressive and edifying reflections on the 
whole narrative of which the text is a part, let us pro- 
ceed to consider it separately ; and to make a practical 
application of the instruction which it affords. 

I. a The king — says the text — was exceeding sorry." 
From this it appears that Herod, bad as he was, still re- 
tained no inconsiderable degree of sensibility. From 
some cause or other, he felt much — He was not only 
sorry, but u exceeding sorry." Let us inquire into the 
probable causes of this sorrrow. 

1. He was probably sorry because the performance of 
his rash oaths would injure his character and reputation 
with the world. Although a despotick prince, still he 
would, no doubt, be rather loved and respected, than hated 
and detested, even by his own subjects. All tyrants, 
whether great or small, always wish to be feared by 
those who are dependent on them ; but they do not wish 
to be hated and despised — They commonly desire and 



DISCOURSE VIII. 197 

expect to be reverenced and loved. In this, indeed, 
they must necessarily he disappointed, because servile 
fear and a degree of hatred are inseparable. Servile 
fear is a painful feeling, and we naturally hate that 
which gives us pain. Tyrants, however, the inconsis- 
tency notwithstanding, seldom fail to demand and ex- 
pect that their dependents should dread them as mas- 
ters, and yet love them as parents ; and they are fre- 
quently angry, even to madness, when they find that 
their expectation cannot be realized. History informs 
us that the father of the Herod to whom our text refers, 
took the most effectual measures which a dying man 
could take, to have seventy elders of the Jews put to 
death, on the day of his own decease, that his departure 
from the world might be attended with mourning and not 
with rejoicing. What a wretch is a tyrant, with all his 
pomp and power ! And how precious is that love and ven- 
eration which we delight to yield spontaneously to virtue 
and goodness, but which wealth cannot buy, nor power 
exact ! 

But if the Herod of whom the text speaks, and who 
too closely resembled his father, had so completely alien- 
ated the affections of his own subjects — as indeed seems 
to have been the fact — that he could have but little hope 
of regaining them, and therefore might pay but little re- 
gard to this consideration, still he was, no doubt, very 
desirous to have his character stand fair with the Ro- 
mans, from whom he held his power, and who hated acts 
of wanton and individual cruelty. He would, therefore^ 



198 DISCOURSE VIII. 

be exceeding sorry to do a thing which would injure him 
in the estimation of those to whom he owed allegiance ; 
and whose good opinion he was most of all solicitous to 
secure and preserve. 

He might also be sorry that he had sworn to do that 
which might brand his memory with infamy to the remot- 
est ages. This, happily, is a consideration which some- 
times has a degree of influence on those great and pes- 
tilent scourges of the world who are regardless of better 
motives. The disgusting transaction to which the text 
refers, has not only rendered the name of Herod an 
abomination with every reader of sacred story, but the 
Jewish historian, already named, has recorded it, to the 
endless reproach of his character with his own nation : 
And it is at least possible, that the anticipation of some- 
thing like this, might mingle with other considerations, 
to render him exceeding sorry, at the perpetration of 
the detestable deed to which his oaths had pledged him. 

2. We are warranted in saying that Herod was afraid 
that John's popularity would produce public disturbance 
and insurrection, if he were put to a violent death. One 
of the evangelick historians explicitly states, that " when 
Herod would have put John to death, he feared the mul- 
titude, because they counted him as a prophet." There 
is a certain point beyond which no people will bear 
oppression, nor suffer their feelings to be outraged ; and 
when their oppressors, even in the most absolute govern- 
ments, pass this point, they often do it at the expense 
of their whole authority and life together — They are 



DISCOURSE VIII. 199 

deposed and destroyed at once. Of this Herod appears 
to have been aware and fearful. 

The Jews, although their fathers had slain many 
prophets, had still the highest regard for the prophetick 
character. They had now, for several centuries, been 
without a prophet in their nation. John had convinced 
them that the character, so long extinct, was revived in 
him : and his reproof of their cruel monarch, not only 
for incest, but " for all the evils which Herod had done, 7 * 
demonstrated that he possessed the elevated and undaun- 
ted spirit of the ancient prophets, and must have endear- 
ed him greatly to the people at large. From these cau- 
ses, they appear to have held him in such profound 
veneration, that their despotick prince himself, in his 
cooler moments, was afraid to provoke their rage, by 
taking away the prophet's life. And when he found that 
he had, unawares, given his oath and pledged his hon- 
our to do this very act, he was of course exceeding sor- 
ry — exceeding sorry that he had brought himself into a 
situation in which he was to run the risk of exciting a 
public insurrection, by which both his power and his 
life might be endangered and lost. This kind of sorrow 
the vilest of men often feel. They are not sorry for the 
sin they commit, but sorry i;hat they can not commit it 
without inconvenience and danger. But yet, 

3. There seems to be good reason to believe that 
Herod had some very painful compunctions of con- 
science, on this occasion. It appears that he had, for a 
while, refused the entreaties of Herodias to put John to 



200 DISCOURSE VIII. 

death, not only because he feared the people, but be- 
cause he feared the Baptist himself; feared him with 
that kind of dread which a wicked man, however digni- 
fied by station or clothed with authority, is often com- 
pelled to feel, in the presence and under the rebukes of 
a man of confessed and eminent holiness and virtue. 
Nay, we are assured, that there had been a time when 
the preaching of John had made a considerable impres- 
sion on Herod. The context informs us that u Herod 
feared John, knowing that he was a just man and a ho- 
ly, and observed him, and when he heard him he did 
many things and heard him gladly." Now, although it is 
certain, that Herod had so far silenced or resisted the 
remonstrances of his conscience, as not only to imprison 
John, but to have resolved to destroy him, if the fear of 
the multitude had not restrained him ; yet it is highly 
probable that when the matter came to a point, and he 
saw himself about to give the decisive mandate to take 
away the life of this holy man, whom he had once 
venerated, and to whose admonitions he had in many 
things yielded, his conscience awoke, and his mind was 
greatly disturbed and agitated. 

We have the more reason to believe this, because we 
find that Herod's conscience gave him dreadful distur- 
bance after he had perpetrated the murderous act. He 
appears to have been a Sadducee ; and of course he de- 
nied, as all the Sadducees did, the resurrection of the 
dead, and a future state of rewards and punishments. 
Yet so powerfully and painfully did the awakened con- 



DISCOURSE VIII. 201 

science of this professed infidel operate that, in opposi- 
tion to all his avowed principles, no sooner did he hear 
the report of the miracles of Christ than he said — " It is 
John whom I beheaded, he is risen from the dead." 
What a fearful tormentor is a guilty conscience ! And 
how often are infidelity and superstition united ! He who 
had professed to believe that " there is no resurrection/ 7 
apprehends the immediate and miraculous resurrection 
of the victim of his crimes. Alas ! like innumerable infi- 
dels since, Herod did not really believe what he profes- 
sed. He professed what he wished to be true, but what, 
after all, he grievously feared would prove to be false. 

On the whole, from the facts just stated, we have good 
evidence to conclude that the mind of Herod shuddered 
at the prospect of taking the life of John ; and that, on 
this account, as well as from the other considerations 
that have been stated, he was exceeding sorry to find 
that he had sworn to do what he dreaded to perform. 
Happy had it been for him if he had refused to redeem 
his impious pledge ; if he had rather broken than fulfil- 
led his wicked oaths ; if he had rather lost his honour in 
the eyes of his courtiers than killed the prophet of the 
Lord. But he thought otherwise ; and we are now 

II. To examine the principles or motives from which 
he acted. What these were we are told in the text — 
" For his oaths' sake, and for their sakes who sat with 
him, he would not reject her." 

1. "For his oaths' sake he would not reject her" 

It is easy to show most conclusively, that Herod's repeat- 

1)2 



20% DFSCOURSE VIIL 

cd oaths on this occasion were not obligatory. His sin— 
and a sin of no ordinary atrocity it was — consisted in 
making these oaths. Of this sin he ought to have re- 
pented, iand not to have added to it, as he certainly did 
to a most awful extent, by performing his oaths. Cir- 
cumstanced as he was, nothing was left him, in the way 
of duty, but to tread back the false and rash steps he 
had taken, by a full and frank acknowledgment of error 
and guilt, and by an absolute refusal to fulfil the engage- 
ments which he had unlawfully made. This is unques- 
tionably the course which ought to be taken, by every 
man who has been led, by whatever cause, to bring him- 
self under a promise, vow or oath, unlawful in itself. 

One of the fathers of the christian church has made a 
remark to this effect — that the very terms of Herod's 
oaths, did not bind him to behead the Baptist : that he 
might and ought to have answered Herodias, that a 
prince was bound to regard justice more than all his do- 
minions : that, in this view, the Baptist's head was 
worth, not only more than the half, but more than the 
ivhole of his kingdom ; and therefore that he was not 
pledged to comply with her iniquitous demand. 

It was, moreover, infinitely absurd for a man so aban- 
doned as Herod was, to pretend to feel a moral obliga- 
tion to do a thing most unrighteous in itself, after disre- 
garding every obligation to do what was right. How 
was it, then, that " for his oaths' sake" he was induced 
to act as he did ? Must we believe that he was left of 
God to such a perversion of mind as really to think, and 



DISCOURSE VIII. 20? 

ieel, and act, as if he were bound to keep bad oaths or 
promises, although he had violated, and was then living 
in the violation of the most sacred vows and engage- 
ments ? Was he abandoned to such an infatuation, was 
he given up to such utter delusion, as actually to consid- 
er himself under some strange kind of obligation, to risk 
his reputation, to risk his life, and to act against the 
plainest principles of moral equity, rather than break 
the oaths he had made, or even give them another con- 
struction than that which his adulterous wife and her 
wicked daughter had chosen to put upon them ? It cer- 
tainly does appear, in fact, that such men as Herod was,, 
will not unfrequently make an unlawful oath or vow, and 
keep it scrupulously, when they can be bound by no mo- 
ral tie. They will bring themselves under an oath, or 
a curse, to do, or to forbear, a certain thing — a thing 
sometimes right and sometimes wrong in itself — and this 
engagement no consideration will induce them to violate. 
All this, however, may probably be resolved into that 
same principle of false honour, on which, as I apprehend, 
the whole conduct of Herod on this occasion must be ex- 
plained. 

I call that false honour which sets up a standard by 
which a man must think meanly or honourably of him- 
self, and be so estimated by others, when, this standard 
is notwithstanding opposed to some plain and important 
principles of mora] duty, as taught and sanctioned by 
reason, conscience and the word of God. Honour al- 
ways purports to be something that is noble ; dignified or 



204 DISCOURSE VIII. 

generous ; and nothing surely can be truly so, which is 
characterized by the contrariety I have mentioned. It 
may be called honour, but it must be called so falsely ; 
and therefore, without any harshness or exaggeration, it 
may be denominated false honour. 

Now there have been men, in every age, who have 
been prone to establish such a false standard as we con- 
template, and to make the point of honour consist in a 
strict conformity to it. Certain principles and practi- 
ces, hostile to the duty which is due both to God and 
man, they, by a kind of tacit compact, agree to consider 
as marking the character of the man who acts honoura- 
bly, spiritedly, nobly ; and who of course renders himself 
worthy of the esteem, countenance and company of those 
who, according to their classification, are men of honour. 
And on the other hand, those who will not conform to 
their principles and standard, they agree to consider and 
treat as mean spirited, contemptible and utterly disqual- 
ified for the regard and society of honourable men. 

Some of the patrons of this system treat all religion 
with open contempt. Rut others profess to reverence its 
dictates generally ; and some of them, like Herod, re- 1 
tain no inconsiderable sensibility of conscience. In all 
eases, however, they are manifestly practical infidels. 
They attempt to abrogate the divine commands by re- 
quisitions of their own which diametrically oppose those 
commands. They establish a system of human opinion 
and a criterion of character, in direct hostility with that 
which God has prescribed, and which he has sanctioned; 



DISCOURSE VIH. 205 

not only in his word, but in the natural conscience of 
man. Practically, therefore, they entirely set aside the 
divine authority, and rebel against their Maker, by exalt- 
ing a rule of action, formed by themselves, into a superi- 
ority to that which has been given by Him. 

Nor do these men permit any one who claims to be of 
their number to falter, whatever may be the conse- 
quences, in pursuing the course which they have mark- 
ed out. They are the most rigorous and unmerciful ex- 
acters on earth of a strict conformity and an unwavering 
regard to the rules which they have adopted. No mat- 
ter if such a conformity and regard will, in any given 
instance, destroy a man's peace and happiness both for 
time and eternity, still they insist that he shall not hesi- 
tate ; that he shall modify nothing ; that he shall go 
straight forward ; or else be branded as a man destitute 
of honour, and unfit for the society of gentlemen. 

To this description of men it appears that Herod be- 
longed, for their principles alone will explain his con- 
duct. On his natal day, in a season of festivity, in which 
it was his object to make a pompous exhibition of every 
thing that might elevate him in that scale of estimation 
which measured the excellence to which he aspired, he 
had made such a promise as only a monarch could 
make, and had confirmed the promise by reiterated 
oaths. The fulfillment of these oaths was doubtless, 
in his expectation, to exalt him still more, and to 
make him the object of admiration and envy, with 
those whose opinion he most regarded. Such oaths 



206 DISCOURSE YI11. 

were not to be broken or modified, whatever might be 
the hazard, the pain, or the loss, which a strict compli- 
ance with them might produce. He could lose nothing 
that he valued so much as his honour. This is the stand- 
ing remark which such men have ever made on such an 
occasion. What, therefore, though every principle of 
justice and morality, and every dictate of religion and 
humanity, forbade a compliance ; what though he was 
"very sorry" that he had placed himself in this predic 
ament, and perhaps would have given the half of his 
kingdom to be fairly delivered from it ? still, when Hero- 
dias demanded the head of John, " for his oaths' sake 
fee would not reject her." To have done so, while he re- 
tained his false rule of judging, would have sunk him in 
his own estimation, even though his power might have 
protected him, as probably it would have done, against 
the open sneers and insults of his associates. But their 
esteem and admiration was, in fact, the idol that he 
worshipped. Hence 

2. It is added in the text — " For their sakes which sat 
with him, he would not reject her." 

It must be admitted that the circumstances in which 
Herod was placed were calculated to give the utmost 
force to his corrupt principles, to render any retraction 
peculiarly difficult and mortifying, and to urge him al- 
most irresistibly, over the precipice which he had rashly 
and foolishly approached. Those who sat with him 
were " his lords, high captains and chief estates of Gal- 
ilee 5" the first men of his kingdom, both in civil and mil- 



DISCOURSE VIII. 207 

itary stations. They had been invited by their prince 
as his chosen companions, at his birth-day celebration. 
Sitting with him at a banquet, in which, doubtless, eve- 
ry effort was employed to give to convivality and fes- 
tive pleasure their highest zest, they were surprised by 
an unusual, voluntary and condescending act of the 
daughter* of the monarch's wife. Salome, possessing 
all the charms of youth and beauty, and all the grace 
which art could give them, enters the assembly, and ex- 
hibits, for the entertainment of the guests, her superior 
skill in dancing. Enraptured by this unexpected height- 
ening of the gratification both of himself and his compa- 
ny, Herod repeatedly and publickly swears that he will 
reward her courtesy with any gift that she shall please 
to name, even to the half of his kingdom; and he appears 
to have urged her to put his sincerity and princely mu- 
nificence to the proof. Here, then, were power, pride 
and gallantry, all put in pawn for the fulfilling of his 
promise, and all, of course, to be indelibly tarnished, if 
the pledge were not redeemed. What could he do, 
when the damsel, after retiring for a few moments to con- 
sult with her mother, " came in straightway with haste 
unto the king, and asked saying, I will that thou give 
me, by and by, in a charger, the head of John the Bap- 
tist V 9 What a moment was that for Herod ! At that 
moment he probably saw that all which had been done 
by these artful and abandoned women, was the result of 
a deliberate and deep laid plot to ensnare him, and to 

* We learn from Josephns that her name was Salome. 

( d &" e 2 ) 



208 DISCOURSE VIIL 

compel him to sacrifice John. But he saw himself com- 
pletely taken in the snare. He saw the truth of what 
he might before have learned from Solomon, that " a 
whore is a deep ditch ; and a strange woman is a nar- 
row pit. She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and in- 
creaseth the transgressors among men." But in his 
opinion he had made this discovery too late to be of use. 
Will you say that he ought promptly to have exposed 
the detestable artifice by which he had been entrapped, 
and to have refused, decisively and firmly, to be made the 
instrument of a harlot's murderous vengeance? Certain- 
ly he ought to have done so. But to do it his whole tem- 
per must have been changed at once ; all his maxims of 
honour must have been abandoned, and his whole system 
of life and domestick arrangements must thence- forward 
have been completely changed. In a word, he must have 
taken shame and blame to himself before all the rank and 
fashion of his kingdom, knowing at the same time that 
they would not fail to despise him for doing it. To him, 
feeling as he did, this was worse than death itself. No— 
it was, without doubt, a prime object to dissemble and 
conceal his folly and his guilt. He had himself placed the 
wretched women who had beguiled him in the stations 
which they held, and in which he still intended to main- 
tain them. He would, therefore, be the last man in the 
world to tell that they had over- reached him, and made 
him the tool of their base and malignant passions. The 
desire to conceal all this would be among his strongest 
temptations to fulfil; with apparent fearlessness, the pro- 



DISCOURSE VIII. 209 

mise which, in his heart, he was exceeding sorry that he 
had ever made. Ah ! it is a dreadful situation when a 
man has gone so far in vice, that he is in a sort compelled 
to go farther; — that he cannot retreat without shame and 
confusion, nor go forward without increasing his guilt and 
sealing his perdition. How cautiously should the first 
steps be avoided, which may lead to such a fearful issue! 

But an alternative, after all, it has been supposed and 
said, was left to Herod, by the adoption of which he 
might have waved a compliance with the revolting re- 
quest of Salome, without forfeiting his honour, even in 
the estimation of his companions. He might, it has been 
suggested, have told her, that he felt himself at liberty 
to make her a gift more valuable than that which she 
asked, though certainly not to make one that was less 
so : that seeing her disposed to wrong herself, by asking 
what he was sure she would eventually regret, he must 
interpose to prevent it, and would do so by granting her 
what he knew would afford her the most lasting satisfac- 
tion : and then, that he might have made her a present 
which would have been a proud display of his royal 
power and liberality. 

It is not certain, however, that Herod had time or so- 
briety enough to think of such an alternative as this ; nor, 
if it had been suggested, that either he or his companions 
would have judged that its adoption would preserve his 
honour. It is true, indeed, that those who claim for 
themselves exclusively the character of men of honour, 
do seem ; at times, to go a good deal farther than their 



210 DISCOURSE VIII. 

own principles require. But it must be recollected that 
those who have not been taught iu their school, are prob- 
ably not competent judges, either of their maxims or 
their feelings. The wretched monarch whose case we 
consider, had sworn to give Salome whatever she should 
ask. Now, to propose any thing else than what she 
did ask, might seem to reflect on her choice ; and not 
to consist with that high and delicate regard to sex and 
rank, which men of honour always affect. It might also 
appear unprincely ; as implying, either that he wanted 
the power, or else that he w T as afraid, to do what had 
been required : and to be afraid of any thing, except the 
loss of honour — afraid even of the w r rath of Him " who 
is able to destroy both soul and body in hell," is what — 
I speak it with horror — is never permitted to a man of 
false honour, when that honour is at stake. The fact 
undoubtedly was, that the fidelity of John had given an 
offence to Herodias, for which she was resolved that noth- 
ing but his blood should ever atone. No gratification 
could be put in place of this ; Herod knew it well, and 
probably they who sat with him knew it too. When 
therefore, this was asked, his honour, he thought, was 
concerned to grant it, without hesitation or evasion ; be- 
cause to do otherwise, would be considered as a reproach- 
ful shrinking from his promise and oaths, by those with 
whom he was associated. Yes — though the plain truth 
must appear like paradox or irony — a nice sense of 
honour required, in his opinion, that he should immedi- 
ately kill the best man in his kingdom, and cause his 
reeking head to be brought in a charger to a royal ban* 



DISCOURSE VIII. 211 

quet, and there that it should be formally delivered to 
the enchanting damsel, who had requested this princely 
present, and that she should take it and deliver it to 
lier mother, who had prompted her to demand it. The 
point of honour required exactly this bloody proceedings 
and admitted of no alternative. It was nothing, there- 
fore, though the thing itself was shocking beyond all des- 
cription — so shocking that we wonder how female lips 
eould ever request it^ or female hands help to execute it; 
nothing, though "the king was exceeding sorry" that he 
had sworn to comply with this request; nothing, though 
the compliance would strike at his character, safety and 
conscience, all at once ; nothing, though'it was forbidden 
by every law of God, of justice and of humanity — ?as a 
man of honour, he could not and would not refuse it. 
He did not refuse it— The holy Baptist was that night 
beheaded ; and a sting was fastened in the bosom of this 
man of honour, which no time or efforts could ever ex- 
tract, whose poison no art could mitigate, and whose cor- 
roding anguish, through the whole of subsequent life ? 
was, we have reason to fear, the earnest only of the 
gnawings of that worm which should never die, and the 
torments of that fire which should never be quenched. 

It now remains to close this discussion, by directing 
your attention to some important lessons of practical in- 
struction, which, if I mistake not, it both teaches and en- 
forces. It teaches us 

I. To beware, generally, of imbibing and avowing 
false and dangerous principles 5 and particularly of the 



212 DISCOURSE VIII. 

perversion and abuse of the principle of honour and 
shame. The whole of Herod's guilt and misery might, 
probably, be traced to his Saducean tenets. And alas ! 
how little, frequently, do the young and unthinking sus- 
pect, when, with heedlessness and levity, they drink in 
the principles of infidelity, or adopt any system of loose 
morals, that they are taking poison of the most fatal 
kind ; a poison which, if not seasonably counteracted, 
may prove the bane of all their happiness, both in this 
world and the world to come. Before they are aware, 
they may find themselves pursuing a course, or pledged 
to actions, which lead directly to ruin. Yet retraction 
then will be all "but impossible. They will have taken 
their side, and avowed, perhaps boasted and sworn, that 
in the circumstances in which they now find themselves 
they would risk every consequence. Pride, and the 
opinion of their associates, therefore, imperiously forbid 
them to retreat, and impel them forward, it may be 
against their present conviction and inclination, till they 
plunge into the gulph of final perdition. My young 
friends, you cannot be too vigilantly on your guard against 
adopting dangerous principles. Never hastily favour 
those that are even questionable or doubtful ; and never, 
especially, pledge yourselves to act on any such princi- 
ples. If you do, you may speedily find yourselves in 
so unhappy a dilemma, that you must either retreat with 
mortification, or persevere in guilt, till it end in destruc- 
tion. 

Let me particularly and earnestly caution you, as a 
matter of great moment, against the perversion or abuse 



DISCOURSE VIII. 213 

of the principle of honour and shame. A sense of hon- 
our and shame, whether rightly or wrongly directed, is 
exceedingly powerful in its influence ; and the most so, 
commonly, in minds of the greatest natural sensibility 
and ingenuousness. This principle was doubtless inten- 
ded by our Creator to be a guard to virtue, and ought 
always to be so conducted and limited as to answer this 
intention. But alas ! when perverted or excessive, as it 
often is, it leads to the most awful and appalling crimes. 
Among others, it is frequently productive of suicide it- 
self. Shame before men, is exchanged for the endless 
and inconceivable shame and anguish of the invisi- 
ble world. See, then, the importance of regulating this 
principle by the unerring standard of divine inspiration. 
Adopt no principle, as a principle of honour, cherish no 
sentiment that can excite shame, if it contravene any 
thing in God's revealed will. Keep on this ground and 
you will be safe ; depart from this, and you will certain- 
ly be in danger. Holy scripture will teach you, that the 
principle in question, excellent and useful as it is, within 
its proper limits, will lead to sin, and not to duty, when 
those limits are exceeded. When, therefore, you have 
done wrong, never refuse, through shame or pride, to 
acknowledge, forsake and amend the wrong. This in- 
deed, if rightly viewed, is far less shameful than to per- 
sist, however undauntedly, in error and guilt ; and it 
will be so estimated by all whose opinion is most deserv- 
ing of regard. Policy, therefore, as well as duty, points 
to this course. The wise and the good will never re- 
proach a man for transgressions, which he has frankly 



214 DISCOURSE Yltl. 

confessed and penitently forsaken. None can do this, 
but the mean spirited and the hard hearted. But, what 
ought chiefly to be considered is, that the approbation 
of God is infinitely to be preferred before that of man ; 
that we ought to dread the shame and contempt of the 
final judgment, unspeakably more than any which our 
fellow worms can at present inflict ; that, in a few fleet- 
ing days, it will no longer affect us to be honoured or des- 
pised by mortals, but that, if we discharge our duty, we 
shall secure an eternity of happiness beyond the grave. . 

2. Learn from this subject the danger of intemperate 
indulgence — whether it be of particular appetites, or of 
a general love of pleasure. 

Herod was probably under the influence of an intem- 
perate use of wine, and he was certainly intoxicated with 
the pleasures of a feast, when he made the rash oaths 
which produced embarrassment, regret and murder. 
Nor was his case, let it be remembered, a singular one, 
except in the atrocity of his crimes. It is the common 
and general effect of intemperance, to produce guilt, re- 
morse and infamy. The man who has drowned his rea- 
son in his cups, has sunk below the level of the brutes, 
and is often the worst of madmen. How then should 
every one who has any regard either to his body or his 
soul — to his personal dignity, to his reputation, to his 
health, to his substance, to his family, to his peace of 
mind, or to his eternal interests — how should he avoid 
the first and most distant approaches to inebriation ? 
How watchful should he be against forming habits, 



DISCOURSE VIIL 215 

which tend to this destructive and almost hopeless vice f 
How resolutely should he withstand all temptations, or 
solicitations, to pass the bounds of the strictest temper- 
ance and self possession ? Believe it, there is no vice in- 
to which men are oftener led by insensible advances, than 
into intemperance. A powerful propensity to it is fre- 
quently contracted, before the danger is so much as sus- 
pected. To guard against it effectually, I would recom- 
mend to you all to adopt, and inflexibly to adhere, to a 
whole system of practice, calculated not only to ensure 
your sobriety on particular occasions, but to preserve 
your habits from any tendency to its violation. In doing 
this, the most powerful of all considerations should be, 
that in the enumeration, by an inspired apostle, of char- 
acters which preclude all hope of salvation, the drunkard 
is one. While he remains such, he is one of those who 
" have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of 
God." 

Against the indulgence of lewd propensities, as well as 
ef intemperance, I am called by our text and subject to 
warn you distinctly. If Herod had been chaste, there is 
no probability that he would ever have murdered John. 
It was his adulterous connexion with Herodias, which 
originated the faithful reproof of the Baptist, so offensive 
to himself, and to the harlot whom he called his wife. It 
was her blood-thirsty malignity, aided by that art and 
subtility which licentious women usually possess, that en- 
snared bim effectually, and impelled him to the deed 
which has blasted him with eternal infamy. But Herod 



216 DISCOURSE VIII. 

is by no means a solitary instance of these effects of libid- 
inous indulgence. History, both sacred and profane, and 
even your own observation, may furnish you with many 
examples, of at least similar effects, proceeding from 
the same cause. Perhaps, indeed, there is no one vice 
which, in its extreme, more debases and pollutes the 
mind, more brutalizes the whole man, leads him to more 
shameless, detestable and atrocious acts, and which of- 
tener gives him a diseased body, as well as a degraded 
soul, than the very vice which we now contemplate. Nor 
is there any vice to which a man is more in danger of 
becoming enslaved, if he indulges in it at all. Yet this is 
a vice, my young friends, to which persons at your age 
are especially exposed, and against which they need to be 
peculiarly guarded. Difficult therefore as the subject is 
of being properly and profitably discussed in publick, I 
could not forbear to state to you what you have heard. — 
For the rest — and for the best description that was ever 
given of the arts and the dangers of a lacivious woman — 
I refer you to the seventh chapter of the book of Pro- 
verbs ; and I earnestly exhort you to read it seriously, 
and to ponder it deeply, in your closets. In the mean 
time, I shall repeat in your hearing the solemn and im- 
pressive admonition with which that chapter closes — 
" Hearken unto me now, therefore, O ye children, and 
attend to the words of my mouth : Let not thine heart 
decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths : For she 
hath cast down many wounded ; yea many strong men 
have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, 
going down to the chambers of death." 



DISCOURSE VIII. 217 

But, beside intemperance and lewdness, the excessive 
love of pleasure may lead to evils without number.. 
Many, like Herod, become intoxicated with pleasure, 
when not entirely intoxicated with drink. Their spirits 
are so elevated, and their passions so excited, by the 
company and the pleasurable scenes around them, that 
they are set loose from all sober restraint. In these cir- 
cumstances, they say and do many foolish and extrava- 
gant things, for which, on reflection, they are " exceed- 
ing sorry." But they have so entangled themselves, 
their pride, their honour, their character, have become 
so enlisted or involved, that they persist, and add one 
vice and folly to another. Examine the sources and 
causes of violated friendships, of deadly offences, of 
bloody quarrels, of family as well as personal affronts, 
of pledges and promises regretted, of controversies and 
contentions which degrade the characters of all who 
are concerned in them ; — examine, and you will find that a 
large part of them may be traced to taverns, to theatres, 
to parties of pleasure, to seasons of mirth and festivity, 
or of public display — to some place or occasion where 
the parties were stimulated by the observation of their 
companions, or intoxicated with the flow of their own 
spirits, so as to lead them to speak and act, as they nev- 
er would have spoken and acted in their sober moments. 
There they committed their first error, there they pledg- 
ed their character, and afterwards their pride would not 
permit them to correct the faults into which their pre- 
cipitancy had led them. Listen to the admonition of the 

F2 



218 DISCOURSE VtfL 

apostle. "Young men exhort to be sober minded." Yes. 
and that you may preserve sobriety of mind, I do ear- 
nestly exhort you, to stand aloof from all places of un- 
lawful pleasure. Shun them, as you would shun the 
pestilence. And even in scenes and seasons of pleasure 
which is lawful, at times and places of innocent indul- 
gence or recreation, I counsel you to beware of too much 
excitement. Let not your spirits hurry you away into 
any excess, or extravagance, of speech or action. Guard 
especially against all hasty and rash expressions, all 
precipitate promises or engagements, which, in the hour 
of reflection, you will review with deep, and it may be;, 
with unavailing regret. 

3. From what has been said in regard to Herod, you 
may learn that the principles on which he acted, are the 
the very same on which men of false honour act at the 
present time. 

Consider the duellist. He has adopted a standard of 
honour, in opposition to the dictates of revelation, rea- 
son and conscience. In a hasty or unguarded moment, 
or perhaps, indeed, with coolness and deliberation, he 
has given or provoked a challenge, and is pledged to a 
deadly combat — it may be with one whom he has loved 
or venerated. He has a wife, or children, or parents, 
or friends, who, in a few hours, may stand over his life- 
less corpse, and to the latest hour of life suffer anguish, 
and perhaps poverty too, as the consequence of his rash 
act ; while his own soul, all covered with its crimes, 
and self- sent to the bar of God ; shall stand there to 



DISCOURSE Till. 219 

receive its unchanging destination. Or suppose it is his 
antagonist who is to fall. Then, though he survive, he 
may be corroded with remorse to the end of his days. 
The spectre of his murdered brother, hurried to the 
eternal world, may haunt his dreams, and seem to tell 
him of another meeting beyond the grave. But what of 
all this ! The challenge has been given and accepted ; 
and the man of honour has promised with an oath, never 
to refuse such a call as is now made upon him. Al- 
though, therefore, when he reflects on these things, he 
is " exceeding sorry" that he is thus circumstanced; yet, 
for his oath's and honour's sake, and for their sakes who 
have been his chosen associates, he will not refuse to 
fight; He will do it, though all temporal and all eternal 

considerations honour alone excepted forbid him. 

Honour in one scale, and all the tenderest endearments of 
life, with the alternative of heaven or hell in the other- 
honour preponderates. He fights and falls ; or he lives^ 
to die a thousand deaths ! And are these, O false hon- 
our ! these the offerings that must be made at thy shrine ? 
Thou bloody Moloch ! thou fiend accursed ! depart 
from earth to thy native hell ! Precious youth of my 
charge — I charge you, in the name of Christ our Sa- 
viour, have nothing to do with this sanguinary demon. 
No matter what are the consequences of not accepting a 
challenge. They weigh less, in comparison with those 
which follow an acceptance, than the dust of the balance 
against the everlasting mountains. 



£20 DISCOURSE VIII. 

Let us next consider the gambler. He too claims to 
be a man of honour. His honest debts, it is true, he ne- 
glects or refuses to pay. His wife and children, like- 
wise, often want their daily bread, and are likely to be 
turned houseless on the world. But he will sell or pawn 
his property, to the last farthing, that his debts of hon- 
our may be fully paid. He is, indeed, exceeding sorry 
that this necessity is laid upon him, but his honour he 
must sustain. Promises and obligations, of the most sa- 
cred kind, he will habitually violate ; but a promise, or 
an oath, to pay a debt of honour, he will always fulfil. 

My dear brethren, there is, in these two practices of 
duelling and gambling, all that is calculated to provoke 
not only our abhorrence, and indignation, and regret, but 
our scorn and derision too. If they did not involve 
such serious consequences, they would be the fittest of 
all subjects for ridicule and contempt. There is inherent 
in these practices something so infinitely absurd, and in 
the claims to honour, of those who indulge in them, 
something so perfectly preposterous, that it is difficult to 
expose them in their true colours — and I have sensibly 
felt this difficulty — without the appearance of a manner 
that savours of sarcasm, and borders on the ludicrous. 
But ah ! their consequences are serious beyond the pow- 
er of description. These consequences produce no smiles, 
but many tears. Every christian should weep over them. 
Every christian should do all in his power to prevent 
them. And every christian must, as things absolutely 
inconsistent with his character and profession, utterly 



DISCOURSE VIIL 221 

renounce and avoid these practices for himself. Remem- 
ber this, my young friends — Remember that you must 
renounce them ; or as the dreadful alternative, renounce 
the gospel and the hope of heaven. Keep this alterna- 
tive steadily and constantly before you. If you do this, 
and are not lost to reason as well as to religion, you can 
never be duellists or gamblers. 

4. Finally — From the example of Herod, learn, on 
the one hand, the danger of losing the serious impres- 
sions of religion which, at any time, you may feel ; and 
on the other, the importance of cherishing them, till 
they deepen into permanent piety. When Herod heard 
the Baptist gladly, and did many things agreeably to 
his instructions and exhortations, there was a flattering 
prospect of his thorough reformation. Had he retained 
and cherished the impressions which he then felt, had he 
yielded to the dictates of conscience and gone the whole 
length which duty required, how happy had been the 
change which would have been effected in his charac- 
ter ! what an enormity of crimes and guilt would he 
have avoided ! how different would have been his con- 
dition on earth, and his prospects for eternity ! But he 
stifled the remonstrances of conscience, he resisted the 
Spirit of grace, he lost his regard for religion, he turn- 
ed a deaf ear to his faithful reprover, he abandoned 
himself to his vices ; at length he became a murderer $ 
and at last, as history informs us, he lost his throne, 
was banished from his country, and with Herodias, the 
partaker and the prompter of his crimes, died a miser 



%%% DISCOURSE VIII. 

able death in exile. A course similar to this, if not its 
exact parallel, has often been witnessed, since the time 
of Herod. There have been many? who, in youth espe- 
cially, promised to be examples of piety, the blessings 
and ornaments of society, who yet, in the end, became 
abandoned to every thing vicious and vile. For a time 
they were attentive to instruction, moral in their beha- 
viour, did many things commendably, were seriously 
thoughtful about their eternal interests, nay, deeply 
anxious about their salvation, and apparently " not far 
from the kingdom of God." But from sloth or careless- 
ness, from a strong attachment to something inconsistent 
with religion and forbidden by it, from the seduction of 
bad companions, from imbibing corrupt principles, from 
the scoffs and sneers of the profane, from a desire to be 
rid of painful feelings and unpleasant duties, from the 
pleasures or the business of the world — from some of 
these causes, or from several of them united — -a melan- 
choly change took place : the voice of conscience was 
disregarded and suppressed, the mind was turned away 
from religious truth and duty, serious impressions were 
effaced, hardness of heart ensued, positive aversion to 
religion soon followed, indulgence in vice speedily suc- 
ceeded, infidel sentiments were then adopted, and the 
apostacy became complete — The unhappy men lived in 
sin, sometimes with a degree of decency, but oftener as 
profligates or blasphemers ; and they died without 
hope, perhaps in horror and despair. Be warned, my 
dear youth, for what I have told you is not fiction, but 



DISCOURSE Till. 223 

iact, which I have witnessed for myself; — be warned not 
to trifle with serious impressions of religion ; be afraid 
of losing them ; be careful to cherish them ; beseech 
God to strengthen and increase them—" Grieve not the 
Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day 
of redemption." 

A season of tenderness of mind in regard to the 
demands of religion, is a season awfully critical and 
important. Eternal consequences, happy or terrible, 
often follow from the manner in which a man acts at 
such a time. If it pass over without a thorough con- 
version from sin to holiness, it is frequently followed 
by great obduracy or stupidity ; sometimes, as you have 
heard, by final apostacy. If, on the contrary, such a 
season be carefully, and watchfully, and prayerfully im- 
proved, it terminates in a renovation of the heart ; in 
vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ ; in genuine set- 
tled piety. Be not deceived : there is, be assured, no 
entire security against your ultimately becoming scep- 
ticks and profligates, unless you become real practical 
christians. You may think otherwise, and resolve to be 
regular and moral, and to treat religion with decency 
and respect, without embracing it cordially as a rule of 
life ; and of all this, I readily admit, there are some ex- 
amples. But I do affirm, that there are also many exam- 
ples of those who set out in life on this plan, with as fair 
a prospect of success as any others, who, notwithstand- 
ing, have gone eventually into all the extremes of cor- 
rupt principles and licentious practice ; and therefore 



224 DISCOURSE VIH. 

that no individual who adopts the plan, can have any se- 
curity that he will not be added to the number. Ah I 
my young friends, we all depend for our safety on 
the preserving grace of God. Let Him remove the 
restraints of his grace from any man, and that man 
is undone. " He, therefore, who trusteth in his own 
heart is a fool." If you would be secure, you must 
seek security by choosing the Lord as your portion, 
and by constantly imploring his grace, protection and 
guidance. He who does this, is the most promising 
candidate for happiness and usefulness on earth, and 
the only candidate for the bliss of heaven. u The fear 
of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools des- 
pise wisdom and instruction — Hear, O my son, and re- 
ceive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be 
many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom, I have 
led thee in right paths. When thou goest thy steps 
shall not be straitened ; and when thou runnest thou 
shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let 
her ilot go 5 keep her., for she is thy life/* 



DISCOURSE IX. 



THE DEVOUT MAN, 



ACTS X. 2. 

<i A devout man — 

1 HIS is the character of Cornelius, a Roman centu- 
rion, and the first convert to the faith of Christ, from 
among the Gentiles. It does not appear that he was a 
Jewish proselyte. Yet, having his military station in 
the land of Israel, he had no doubt derived great benefit 
from the Jewish scriptures ; for it is certain that he was 
not only instructed in the knowledge of the true God, 
but a most fervent and acceptable worshipper of Him, 
even before he was visited by the apostle Peter. Till 
that time, however, he was but very imperfectly ac- 
quainted with some of the most important poiuts of true 
religion. Men may sometimes have much grace, who 
have but little knowledge ; especially when their defect 
of knowledge is not owing to neglect or indifference, but 
to a want of the means of information. It is always 
true, indeed, that when divine grace changes the heart, 
an ardent desire will be felt to know more of God and of 
his holy will ; so that rapid and surprising advances in 

G2 



£26 DISCOURSE IX. 

knowledge will often be made, as soon as the opportuni- 
ty of acquiring it is offered. But before this, the soul 
may be deeply sanctified ; and then, as in the case of 
Cornelius, better information will be earnestly sought; 
and in the order of God's providence, it will usually not 
be long, before it will, in some good degree, be commu- 
nicated. "Unto every one that hath — saith the Sa- 
viour — shall be given, and he shall have abundance — 
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doc- 
trine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of my- 
self — He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, 
but shall have the light of life." 

It is, my brethren, the distinct object of this discourse 
to endeavour, in a reliance on divine aid, to give you 
the outline, and the chief features of such a character as 
that of Cornelius was — the character of a devout man; 
and then to make a practical improvement of the sub- 
ject. 

The characteristick distinction noticed in the text is, 
I am well aware, undervalued and despised by the pro- 
fane and ungodly world. But let us be careful that we 
be not found among those to whom it is said — " Behold, 
ye deipisers, and wonder and perish" ! Assuredly the 
solemn hour is not far distant, when to have been a rich 
man, a powerful man, an influential man, a wise man, a 
learned man, will afford little consolation ; but when to 
have been a devout man, will fill the soul with hope, 
and joy, and triumph. Yield me, then, your serious at- 
tention, while I endeavour to present such a man to 



DISCOURSE IX. 227 

your view, as the object of your imitation ; as possessing 
distinctions at which we all ought to aim, — attainments 
which, in some measure, we must all make, or be undone 
forever. 

I begin w T ith observing, in general, that a devout man 
is the designation of an individual, not only of real pie- 
ty, but of eminent piety ; of piety which is not merely 
or principally speculative ; or such as consists chiefly in 
a profound or accurate knowledge of the principles of 
religion. A devout man is one whose religion is emi- 
nently practical. It is seated in his heart, and con- 
stantly influences his affections and actions. It is con- 
tinually leading him to humble intercourse with his Ma- 
ker ; to commune with the Father of his spirit, through 
the mediation of his Redeemer ; to an impressive recol- 
lection of the divine presence ; to seek the light of 
God's countenance ; and to regard, as the highest happi- 
ness on earth, the comfortable assurance of his favour. 
In a word, his piety has a direct and constant influence 
on his temper and his life. He strives to imitate the 
perfect example of his Saviour, in spiritual mindedness, 
in devotedness and submission to the will of God, in 
meekness, in humility, in condescension, in kindness, in 
the forgivness of enemies, in going about doing good. 

The regard of the devout man to the law of God is 
peculiarly characterized by its being impartial, though 
imperfect. He feels his obligation to obey all the laws 
of God, and he steadily aims at such an obedience. Yet 
this obedience is not ostentatious $ not rendered that 



228 DISCOURSE IX. 

men may observe and applaud it. It is an obedience 
which is humble, sincere, strict, simple, frank, cheerful, 
coming right from the heart,— dictated by cordial love 
to God, to the law which he has given as a rule of life, 
and to the grace of that gospel in which is all a sinner's 
hope. Nothing can be farther from the character of a 
truly devout man, than to take one part of religion and 
leave another. 

A spurious and unfounded claim to this character, 
has indeed, sometimes been made, and has done infinite 
injury to religion, by bringing the truly devout man into 
disesteem and contempt with the world. There have 
been men who have professed and appeared to be very 
devout, to be much given to prayer, who have talked 
much of the spiritual part of religion, and of their own 
engagements and exercises in it ; and yet, at this very 
time, as has eventually appeared, these men were living 
in the violation of all the moral laws. They were ambi- 
tious, or covetous, or dishonest, or unclean, or intemper- 
ate, or vindictive, or idle, or mischief makers, or liars, 
or whatever else, capable of disguise, is vile and 
impious. Certainly a more detestable race of hypo- 
crites than these cannot exist : and we not only give 
them up freely to all the reproach and abhorrence of 
the world, but we claim to join in that abhorrence ; to 
join in it with as much sincerity, and with far more re- 
gret, than they who sneer at all religion, because these 
men have assumed it as a cloak for their vices. 



DISCOURSE IX. 229 

Yes, I repeat it, the man truly devout, is of all men 
the most careful not to neglect any part of his duty. He 
is what he appears to be. He lives as in the presence of 
Him " who seeth in secret," and who will " bring every 
work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether 
it be good or whether it be evil." Of all hypocrisy, there- 
fore, he is deeply afraid ; not only of that which is 
intended to deceive the world, but of that also which 
arises from self-deception. He sacredly regards truth 
and uprightness in all his words and actions. He is 
exemplary in obeying the second table of the divine law, 
as well as the first. He is just and benevolent to man, 
as well as devout toward God. His piety sweetens his 
temper, instead of souring it ; and in place of dispos- 
ing him to omit any duty which he owes to his fellow 
creatures, it renders him doubly scrupulous in the dis- 
charge of all; teaching him to regard every duty, when 
seasonably performed, as equally a part of the service of 
God ; and to do it " as unto the Lord and not to man." 

Having taken this general view of the character of a 
devout man, let us now consider it somewhat in detail, 
and examine its constituent parts. 

1. First, then, a devout man is a renewed man, "Ye 
cannot gather grapes of thorns, nor iigs of thistles. A 
corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit." You may 
as well expect an effect without a cause ; nay, you may 
as well expect a cause to produce that effect which is 
most unnatural, or contrary to its proper tendency, as 
to expect a holy temper and life to proceed from an ua- 



230 DISCOURSE IX. 

renewed human heart. "The carnal mind is enmity 
against God;" it is sinful and depraved throughout 5 
and while it remains so, all its exercises will be sinful. 
It must therefore be renewed, before it can know a tru- 
ly devout feeling. It is in renovation tfyat the temper, 
taste and desire are implanted, out of which genuine 
devotion grows, and in which it has its root and 
nourishment. That " repentance unto life," and that 
"faith in Christ" for pardon and justification before 
God, which are the foundation of all holy communion 
with Him ; that love to Jehovah and to his law, which 
is the vital principle of all genuine and acceptable obe- 
dience ; all these, without which a devout life cannot 
exist, — all are the fruits, or products, only of a renewed 
nature. A renewed nature, therefore, is essential to a 
devout life, as a cause to an effect, as the root of a tree 
to its foliage and fruit. 

But there is something farther, of high importance, 
that must be noticed here — Oh that I could state it in 
such a manner as suitably to impress your minds and 
my own. Shall I say, then, that some men are concert- 
ed more than others ? Yes ; although every truly good 
man is a regenerate man, yet some good men are more 
thoroughly renewed, are far more extensively or deeply 
sanctified than others. Now a devout man, as we have 
already remarked, is a man of eminent piety ; and 
therefore he who aspires to this character, must remem- 
ber that he cannot possess it without a large measure of 
heart sanctification. Without this, all efforts at an ex- 



DISCOURSE IX. g31 

cmplary discharge of duty, will be difficult, feeble, and 
often omitted ; and all that will be done at last, if not 
entirely abortive, will be miserably imperfect. He that 
would be really and eminently devout, must be inward- 
ly and eminently holy. 

2. A devout man is a man of prayer. He of whom 
the text is spoken " prayed to God always." The terms 
devout and prayerful are, indeed, very nearly of the 
same import, It is from his being much devoted to 
prayer, that the devout man, chiefly and primarily, ob- 
tains his distinctive appellation. Without this, there- 
fore, no one can be devout. To pray much, and to have 
much real engagedness in prayer, is essential to the 
character. The devout man always considers his sea- 
sons of prayer, as among the most precious and pleas- 
ant of his life. Still, he knows that he is sanctified 
but in part, and that every christian is in danger of ne- 
glecting, or of becoming remiss in prayer, from tempo- 
rary coldness, and a consequent indisposition to the du- 
ty. Christian prudence will therefore dictate, not only 
that he set apart a portion of time daily for secret 
prayer ; but that the time and place for engaging in it, 
be deliberately assigned and sacredly regarded ; and 
that such arrangements of secular concerns be made, 
that, in ordinary circumstances, the closet hour shall not 
be interrupted by company or worldly care, but be sa- 
cred to heavenly intercourse. The devout man will 
sooner lose a portion of his usual sleep, than lose the 
privilege and comfort of sweet communion with his 



232 DISCOURSE IX. 

God. This is his spiritual nourishment, and he cannot 
live without it. Hence, though, to guard against ne- 
glect, he have set times for prayer, he will not con- 
fine himself to these. A devotional frame of spirit 
will lead him to seize many a secret opportunity to 
pour out his heart before God, beyond his twice or 
his thrice in a day; and to ^observe seasons of special 
prayer, sometimes accompanied with fasting, when pe- 
culiar pro\idences, or his own state of mind, demand 
them. 

Like the holy men of scripture, the devout man will 
be, in secret, a frequent and fervent intercessor for oth- 
ers ; for his family and kindred ; for all who ask his 
prayers ; and for many who never ask, but who urgent- 
ly need them. With the royal Psalmist he will also be 
able to say " My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow 
and fatness ; and my mouth shall praise thee with joy- 
ful lips ; when I remember thee upon my bed, and med- 
itate on thee in the night watches." He will likewise 
frequently use ejaculatory prayer — in business, in com- 
pany, in travelling, in danger, in sorrow and in joy. 
Devout meditation will often precede, and often mingle 
with his prayers. On the sabbath of the Lord, especi- 
ally, he will meditate much on the things of God, and 
his meditation will be accompanied with many devout 
aspirations of soul. In these exercises his thoughts and 
desires will ascend to heaven, and anticipate something 
of its employments and its pleasures. 



DISCOURSE IX. 23a 

The devout man will delight in social, as well as in 
secret prayer. With his family, with christian friends 
on many special occasions, with the sick and the afflict- 
ed, and in the public worshipping assemblies of God's 
people, he will not fail to join in this sacred exercise, 
A meeting for prayer only, that is, a meeting in which 
there are no other exercises than prayer and praise., 
will not, when properly conducted, be a dull and te- 
dious meeting to him. Nor will he go to church mere- 
ly to hear a sermon. The devotional exercises of pub- 
lick worship — prayer and praise — will be to him pecu- 
liarly sweet and refreshing. 

In a word, the devout man lives a life of holy inter- 
course with Heaven. And as it is by prayer that this 
intercourse is most directly carried on and preserved, 
he will be ready and rejoice to engage in it, in every 
way and form, in which the duty is prescribed or sanc- 
tioned in the scriptures of truth "Praying always, 

with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and 
watching thereunto with all perseverance, and sup- 
plication for all saints." 

3. The devout man will earnestly desire to under- 
stand and obey the revealed will of God. So did Cor- 
nelius. He had, as we have already remarked, mani- 
festly availed himself of his residence in Palestine, to 
obtain a knowledge of Jehovah, and of the manner in 
which his worship might be acceptably performed. He 
promptly obeyed the divine command to send for Peter, 
to tell him " what he ought to do," And when the 

H % 



234 DISCOURSE IX 

apostle came, he said — "Now, therefore, are we all 
here present before God, to hear all things that arc 
commanded thee of God." 

No devout man, who has access to the Bible, will fail 
to become familiar with it. To him it will be emphati- 
cally the book. He will read and study it far more than 
any other book. He will make t4 the testimonies of the 
Lord the men of his counsel." Whenever he doubts or 
inquires in regard to duty, his appeal will be to " the 
law and to the testimony." In ordinary circumstances, 
he will suffer no day of life to pass, without reading a 
portion of holy scripture devoutly. He will treasure it 
up largely in his memory ; and will meditate on its 
truths with great delight. They will furnish him with 
many a mental repast in solitude, and in the wakeful 
hours of night. He will know experimentally what the 
Psalmist meant, when he said of these truths, " they are 
sweeter than honey and the honey comb." He will 
taste no pleasure superior to that which he enjoys, 
when the word of God is set home on his heart, with 
power and sweetness, by the Spirit who endited it. 

The devout man may occasionally read the scriptures 
of truth to observe the beauty and sublimity of their 
composition, or with a view to decide points of contro- 
versy. But he will oftener — far oftener — read them 
with all his attention engrossed to know the will of God, 
that he may do it ; that he may apply what he reads to 
practice ; that his temper and conduct may be improv- 






DISCOURSE IX. 235 



ed and governed by it ; that his devotion may be en- 
kindled, and his affections be sanctified. Hence, with 
an honest and earnest desire, he will seek to know the 
real " mind of the Spirit," in every part of his holy 
word. Every part he will esteem precious ; and by 
comparing one part with another, and combining the 
whole, he will become a consistent, exemplary, bible 
christian. 

The devout man will, also, be a diligent and serious 
attendant on the preached word. Knowing that " faith 
cometh by hearing/' and that the preaching of the gos- 
pel is a divine ordinance, he will never absent himself 
from it for a trivial cause : never because he thinks 
himself already better instructed than those who occupy 
the sacred desk ; never on the pretence that he can 
read a better sermon at home, than he can hear at 
church. He knows that without the divine blessing, 
means apparently the best adapted to do good, will never 
produce that effect ; and, on the contrary, that with the 
divine blessing, means which appear very imperfect or 
defective, will be completely efiicaeious ; and that when 
men attempt to supercede an appointment of God by a 
device of their own, they have no reason to look for his 
blessing, but rather to expect his frowns. Nothing, 
therefore, but causes not to be controlled, will prevent 
the regular attendance of the devout man on the preach- 
ed word. And when he hears it, his attention will not 
be occupied in criticising the speaker; nor in marking 
how fitly the discourse may apply to others 5 but in en- 



236 DISCOURSE IX. 

deavouring to obtain spiritual edification for himself. 
This is his great object, and if he misses this, he can- 
not be satisfied. The preaching that is not calculated 
to give him this, he can never approve. He could not 
approve it, though it should exhibit the imagination of 
Milton, the reasoning of Locke, the learning of Cud- 
worth, or the eloquence of Gabriel. He can take noth- 
ing as a substitute for the food of his soul. And what 
he desires and seeks he often finds. He is often fed and 
refreshed from the provisions of God's house. In the 
strength of what he there receives, in a single atten- 
dance, he sometimes goes forward with alacrity, for ma- 
ny days, in his christian course. He both remembers 
and anticipates sanctuary seasons, as among the most 
profitable and delightful portions of his earthly exis- 
tence. On sacramental occasions, in particular, not only 
the sweet and heavenly communion which he holds 
with his dear and adored Saviour, at his own table, but 
the precious truths of his gospel, illustrated and enforc- 
ed at the time, and deeply impressed by the solemnities 
of that sacred scene, produce a most lasting and saluta- 
ry influence on his heart and life. In a word, by the 
preaching of the gospel and its accompanying ordinan- 
ces, he is instructed, edified, warned, reproved, direct- 
ed, humbled, encouraged, comforted, animated and 
quickened, as his various circumstances and exigences 
may demand. 

4. A devout man will always be a man of family re- 
ligion. Cornelius was " one that feared God with all 



DISCOURSE IX. 237 

his housed He was not only devout himself, but he 
was desirous that all who were about him should be of 
the same character. Accordingly, we find that he had 
" a devout soldier, who waited on him continually/* 7 and 
whom he could trust with his confidential message to 
Peter. Nay, he was willing and desirous that his house 
should be a place of meeting for religious exercises ; for 
we are told that when the apostle came, " he went in 
and found many that were come together. 77 And a most 
happy meeting it was ; fur it was here that, " while Pe- 
ter yet spake, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which 
heard the word. 77 How often, since the days of Corne- 
lius, have associations of devout christians found their 
Saviour 7 s promise fulfilled — f { . where two or three are 
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst 
of them. 77 ! Every devout man will love to live and 
breathe, as much as he can, in an atmosphere of piety. 
His religion is social and benevolent ; and it will be 
among his highest gratifications to see many sharing 
with him in thebenefits of redemption, and the plea- 
sures of a holy life. 

On his family he can never look, but with the tender- 
est concern for every individual, who, he has reason to 
fear, is yet in an unrenewed state ; and for his off- 
spring he will " travail in birth again, until Christ be 
formed in them. 77 Like Abraham, he will " command 
his children and his household after him, that they keep 
the way of the Lord. 77 Like Joshua, he will say—" as 
for me and my house we will serve the Lord. 77 He will 



238 DISCOURSE IX. 

carefully, tenderly and perseveringly instruct, converse 
and pray with his children and servants ; and labour, 
by every proper method, to win them to the paths of 
piety and peace. He will, when the occasion demands 
it, mix authority and correction with persuasion and 
tenderness \ that he may preserve them from vicious 
habits, and train them up " in the nurture and admo- 
nition of the Lord." He knows the value of their 
souls ; he feels responsible to do all in his power to save 
them ; and he cannot be contented while he sees them 
in danger of endless perdition. My brethren, it is by 
family instruction, family religion, and family govern- 
ment, that more may be done to serve the best interests 
both of the church and of the state, than by all other 
means, while these are neglected ; and no truly devout 
man can be habitually regp.rdless of duties of such high 
importance and such extensive influence. 

5. A devout man will, like Cornelius, be "a just 
manP The duties of justice are of the highest obliga- 
tion upon all men. And a foul reproach it is to relig- 
ion, when men of the world, who make a righteousness 
of doing justly, can charge the professed followers of 
Christ, as, alas ! they sometimes truly may, with being 
less exact in discharging the demands of justice, than 
themselves. But such a charge will never lie against 
a man whose piety is both genuine and eminent. He 
will be known as a man of strict honesty and honour. 
He will " abstain from all appearance of evil," and of 
course will have nothing to do with disreputable, or 



DISCOURSE IX. 239 

even with questionable dealings, or transactions. His 
probity will form a distinct and prominent feature of his 
character in the eye of the world. His integrity, there- 
fore, will never be impeached, but by the grossest slan- 
der. He will be punctiliously careful to pay every man 
his due. He will never take the advantage of any one ; 
never betray, or be unfaithful to a trust ; never be liti- 
gious or contentious ; never grind the poor ; never be 
cruel or hard-hearted. In all respects, he will act up- 
rightly and conscientiously ; paying a sacred regard to 
the golden rule laid down by his Saviour — " All things 
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye 
even so to them ; for this is the law and the prophets." 

6. A devout man will not only be just, but, according 
to his ability, liberal also, in the distribution of his 
worldly substance. Of Cornelius it is particularly re- 
corded, that " he gave much alms to the people ;" and 
that his " alms" as well as his " prayers," came up 
" for a memorial" before God. 

In the New testament, covetousness is declared to be 
idolatry. It is several times classed with the most atro- 
cious and abominable vices, of the perpetrators of which 
it is expressly declared, that " they shall not inherit the 
kingdom of God." Yet the mournful fact must not be 
dissembled, that there is no inconsiderable number of 
professing christians, and some that seem to be devout; 
whom we cannot vindicate from the charge of manifest 
and habitual covetousness. What shall we think or say 
©f such men ? I profess, brethren, that I have found it 



240 DISCOURSE IX. 

more difficult to form a favourable judgment of these 
men than of almost any other description of persons, 
who have any claim to be reckoned pious. On the 
whole, we must, doubtless, make some allowance for 
natural temper, and some, also, for the effects of long 
and bad habits in an unsanctified state. Yet, let us 
keep in mind, after all, not only that any indication of 
a covetous temper is peculiarly unamiable and unbe- 
coming in a christian ; but that he in whom it prevails 

and becomes characteristick let other appearances 

be what they may — never can be a true disciple of 
Christ. In the man who is truly devout there will, 
I think, be but little temptation to this sin. The emi- 
nently devout and holy reformer Luther, is stated to 
have said, that he thought he had been tempted to al- 
most every sin, except covetousness ; but that to this, 
he had never known a temptation. This seems to me 
perfectly natural. The devout man is, in a high de- 
gree, weaned from the world as his portion. He lives 
above and beyond it. His heart, and his treasure, and 
his conversation are in heaven. He cannot, therefore, 
easily form an idolatrous attachment to things that 
perish in the using; and, least of all, to sordid pelf. 
Wealth, if he possess it, he will desire to make subser- 
vient to the interests of eternity. That use of worldly 
property, by which his " incorruptible inheritance" 
may be ensured or increased, or by which others may 
be brought to possess the same, he will consider as the 
best use to which it can possibly be applied. 



DISCOURSE IX. 241 

He will, moreover, consider all his possessions as the 
gift of the God of providence; and himself as the res- 
ponsible steward of his Lord's bounty. Hence, he will 
feel a sacred obligation to promote the glory of God, to 
the utmost of his power, by all that he holds in trust ; 
and will think himself entitled to no applause for the 
distributions which he makes. He will, from the same 
principle, not think himself permitted to scatter his 
donations with a careless profusion, or an indiscriminate 
liberality ; but to make them with discretion and care, 
that they may be productive of the greatest good of 
which they are capable. 

In as much, also, as a devout man is a man of humane 
feelings, and of ardent and expansive benevolence, he 
cannot, see " his poor brother have need, and shut up 
his bowels of compassion from him ;" nor see how hun- 
dreds and thousands of immortal beings like himself, 
may be essentially benefited, both in their bodies and 
their souls, by a part of his property, and not contribute 
for this purpose, to the very utmost of his ability. His 
inquiry will be, not how little will suffice for him to do ? 
but how much he may lawfully do, in consistency with 
other obligations. His heart and his delight is in doing 
good ; and he has infinitely more pleasure in his acts of 
beneficence, than a miser ever enjoyed in hoarding his 
wealth. The detail of his alms deeds, and of his other 
charities, I shall not attempt to give. He will consider 



12 



242 DISCOURSE IX. 

the relative importance of every claim on his liberali- 
ty, and will answer to each, according to a conscientious 
estimate of its magnitude and moment. 

7. Finally— A devout man will be a man of good re« 
port. Such was he whom our text commends. He was 
66 of good report among all the nation of the Jews." 

You will not understand me here, as affirming that a 
devout man will never suffer from evil tongues. The 
venom of such tongues is often directed against the 
fairest characters. The best men that have ever lived, 
have been misrepresented and vilified. Nay, the spot- 
less life of our Redeemer himself, did not exempt him 
from the vilest imputations and slanders. But truth is 
mighty in its influence, and will at length prevail over 
falsehood and malignity. In a diffusive publick, there 
is a love of truth and impartiality, which will ultimate- 
ly do justice to innocence and integrity ; sa that a good 
man will, eventually, be of good report. Those who 
know him best, will always esteem and love him most. 
Inquiry, provoked by malignity itself, will serve to ex- 
tend the knowledge of his real character. Thus, he 
will live down the lies and misrepresentations which 
did him a temporary injury ; and his future reputation 
will become less vulnerable from all the attacks that 
have been made upon it. 

Now, a devout man is, by our supposition, eminently 
a good man, a conscientious man, a just man, a liberal 
man. An evil report will not readily be credited to the 
disadvantage of such a man. At a distance, indeed, his 
character may suffer for a short time, but it will, in the 



DISCOURSE IX. 243 

end, in spite of all the endeavours of the wicked to tar- 
nish it, come forth like gold that has passed the fire. 
The God of providence is on the side of the devout 
man ; and will " bring forth his righteousness as the 
light, and his judgment as the noon day." If he live 
long, his worth will often be widely known and acknowl- 
edged. Sometimes a whole nation, as in the case of 
Cornelius, will speak his praise ; and distant genera- 
tions be taught to admire and imitate his virtues— "The 
memory of the just is blessed." 

Having now finished the delineation of the character 
of a devout man, let me remind you of what I have al- 
ready intimated, that my design in doing it has been to 
hold up this character as worthy of general imitation; as 
an exemplar which every one of us ought to copy after. 
But to this application of what has been said I foresee an 
objection ; an objection, not from those who directly and 
openly deny the excellence of the character itself; for to 
these I make no reply at present — The objection I an- 
ticipate will come from those who will admit, at least in 
words, that the character which has been exhibited is 
one of great excellence, and that it were well, perhaps, 
if the world could be peopled with those who possess it. 
But they will object that the character is rather ideal than 
real ; that its colouring is far beyond the life ; that men 
deeply engaged in the business and cares of the world, 
cannot be as devout as the representation given requires 
them to be : that, in a word, the character exhibited is 
out of nature ; and that to busy men, especially, the ina- 



244 DISCOURSE IX. 

itation of it is not practicable. I wish to state the ob- 
jection in all its strength ; and so stated, I admit that it 
is specious. But that it is only specious, I shall hope to 
satisfy you, if you will lend me your candid and serious 
attention. 

Let jj; be carefully considered, then, whether the rep- 
resentation which has been given is not scriptural. If 
it be, it must be received as just, and the duties to 
which it points must be viewed as obligatory. We 
must be careful not to lower the standard of duty, be- 
cause it transcends our practice or our inclination. 
Practice and inclination in that case should be raised to 
the standard, and not the standard be brought down to 
them. Now, let it be recollected that, in the represen- 
tation given, the character of Cornelius, as set forth in 
the text and context, has been distinctly referred to, as 
affording a warrant for each particular we have gone 
over, except the first ; and that no more was asserted 
there, than what is true of every good man, and there- 
fore must be true of him who is devout : and that in all 
the enlargments and illustrations, under the several par- 
ticulars, the statements made have commonly been con- 
firmed by plain passages of scripture, and have invaria- 
bly, as far as I can judge, accorded with its scope and 
spirit. The speaker verily believes, that not one lead- 
ing sentiment has been delivered, which might not be 
shown to be clearly supported and sanctioned by the 
authority of holy writ. If, then, what has been said be 
scriptural, and the scripture be, as it certainly is, our 



iilSCOtltSE IX. 245 

standard of truth and duty, let us remember that every 
truth, and every duty, is consistent with every other 
truth, and every other duty. Falsehoods and vices of- 
ten clash, but truths and duties never do. The inclina- 
tion or practice, therefore, which keeps any man from 
being as devout as a scriptural statement requires him 
to be, must be wrong, and ought to be corrected, instead 
of being made the ground of a complaint that the state- 
ment itself is extravagant or unnatural. 

The devout man has not been represented as perfect, 
or sinless. This he certainly never is ; and there is no 
man who, so much as he, feels, confesses and bewails 
his imperfections. Nor has his life been represented as 
an uninterrupted succession of pleasurable exercises, or 
of holy joy. It is entirely consistent with all that has 
been said to admit — and I explicitely admit — that he may 
be acquainted with spiritual conflicts, and sometimes 
with a degree of dejection and fear. My subject and 
design required that I should describe the prevailing 
temper, the general character, and the leading duties 
which a devout man will always exemplify; and to exhib- 
it these, not in the lowest degree in which it is possible 
for them to exist, but in as high a degree as that in which 
they may actually and frequently be found. Repeatedly 
have you been reminded that we were considering the 
character of one eminently pious. It is doubtless true, 
and important to be remembered, that genuine piety ad- 
mits of many gradations ; and that there may be a mea- 
sure of true devoutness, in those who are sadly defective 



246 DISCOURSE IX. 

in some lineaments of the character which has been 
portrayed. But, christian brethren, we ought to be 
very careful not to suffer this, or any similar concession, 
to render us content with our imperfections. Let us ev- 
er keep in mind that the man who wishes for no more 
religion, than exactly the lowest measure that will 
carry him to heaven, has, within himself, unequivocal 
evidence that he possesses no true religion at all. He 
manifestly views it as a sick man views a nauseous med- 
icine ; which he consents to take that it may preserve 
his life, but of which he desires to take not a particle 
more than is necessary to his safety. The man of real 
piety loves religion for its own sake. He who has " tas- 
ted that the Lord is gracious," always desires to drink 
deeply of the " cup of salvation," — to partake largely 
of " the water of life." He is humbled while he con- 
templates his numerous short comings, and covets ear- 
nestly the attainments of those whose piety appears to 
be of a higher order than his own. He looks at their 
example with a holy emulation, and loves to dwell upon 
it, as an excitement and encouragement to himself, to 
press towards a higher mark. 

But, with reference to the point now in discussion, facts 
probably will be considered as more decisive than argu- 
ments. To facts, then, the appeal is confidently made, 
that the character which has been set before you, taken 
in its full extent, was not only the character of Corne- 
lius, and of other saints of whom the scripture gives us 
an account, but that it has often been realized in mod- 



DISCOURSE IX. 247 

ern times — -realized not only in ministers of the gospel, 
and in men of leisure and seclusion from the world ; but 
in men whose professions or occupations were as little 
favourable to fervent and habitual devotion, as any em- 
ployments can be, which are in themselves lawful : and 
in regard to whom it is also true, that they were as in- 
dustrious, and as successful, in their several pursuits, as 
those who paid no regard to religion. Who, I ask, 
was a more eminent or occupied lawyer than Hale? 
Who was a more busy or a more distinguished physi- 
cian than Boerhaave ? Who was more incessantly devot- 
ed to science then Boyle ? Who was a more wealthy 
and extensive merchant than Thornton? Who was a bet- 
ter soldier than Gardiner ? Who was ever more unfa- 
vourably situated for devotion than Meikle ? Yet these 
were all eminently devout men. And were it proper 
for me to name the living as well as the dead, I could, 
blessed be God, point you to busy men, in whom the 
character in all its parts is, at this moment, exemplified, 
Ah ! my brethren, we want nothing but a right heart, to 
make it practicable, and pleasant too, to be devout, irl 
any business or situation of life which is consistent with 
our christian character. The business or situation 
which really precludes, or habitually interferes, with 
devotion, is unlawful in itself, and ought immediately to 
be abandoned. 

But it is only a few, after all, who can offer even a 
plausible pretence that their necessary business is more 
unfavourable to a devout life, than worldly concerns 



,248 DISCOURSE IX. 

always are. You whom I now address, have surely no 
ground for such a plea : and the mass of mankind have, 
dearly, no special hindrance to a holy intercourse with 
the Father of their spirits, but that reluctance to the 
duty which they carry in their own bosoms. Here, nv 
deed, is the true source of the objection to which I have 
been replying, whenever it is made to bear on practice. 
As a point of speculation, or as a matter of temptation, 
it may occur to any one. But as a satisfying reason, a 
reason to be deliberately acted on, for not being devout, 
I truly believe it is pleaded only by those who, in seek- 
ing for an excuse, find, or rather fabricate it, here. My 
dear brethren, it is in this very point — and the truth 
ought to be plainly stated — that the characteristick dif- 
ference is found, between those who are born of God, 
and those who are not. The children of God love devo- 
tion, and they who are yet alienated from Him never 
love it. Unsanctified men never love " to draw nigh 
unto God ; ?? and hence they always find devout exercises 
inherently and irreconcilably offensive. They may love 
speculations on religion, they may learnedly advocate 
its divine origin, they may defend all its outworks, they 
may be criticks in the languages of the sacred volume, 
they may understand its doctrines, they may attend on 
all the ordinances of the church, they may contribute to 
its support, tliey may zealously contend for forms — in a 
word, whatever is external, or merely intellectual in re- 
ligion, may be tolerable, and even pleasing to them. 
But from their heart and affections religion, is completely 



DISCOURSE IX. 249 

excluded ; and as these are essential to devout exerci- 
ses, such exercises are always, to unsanctiiied men, the 
object of irreconcilable aversion. Hence it was neces- 
sary to show, at the very entrance of this subject, that 
a devout man must be renewed in the temper of his 
mind, as the ground work of all that is to constitute and 
complete his character. 

It appears, then, that if w r e possess true piety, we 
not only may, but that, in some good degree, we must be 
devout. Yes, let it sink down into every heart, that he 
who has not a devout religion, has no genuine religion* 
He dislikes communion with God ; and heaven itself, if 
he could be admitted there, would be found a place of 
no enjoyment to him. A devout spirit is essential to 
capacitate or qualify us for a participation in the exer- 
cises and employments of the kingdom of God above. 
And the more that any man possesses of this spirit while 
he dwells on earth, the more ripe has he become for 
heaven ; and the more of its pleasures will he antici- 
pate, before he rises to the mansions of the just. 

Among the many considerations, brethren, which 
urge us to the cultivation of a devout spirit, that which 
I have last suggested is certainly one, which may and 
ought to have much influence. He, unquestionably^ 
who shall possess the most of this spirit, will be the 
happiest christian. It will render all his duties easy 
and pleasant, it will alleviate all his afflictions, it will 
render him almost a stranger to fear, it will give him 
contentment with his lot, it will fill him with divine 

K 2 



250 DISCOURSE IX. 

consolations, and will often constrain him to say with 
the apostle, " I have a desire to depart and to he with 
Christ, which is far better." 

But usefulness, as well as happiness, will be increas- 
ed, in proportion as a spirit of true devotion is aug- 
mented. Not only will the possessor of this spirit 
adorn and recommend religion, by the character which 
you have heard described, and strive to promote it by 
all those exertions for its direct advancement which 
constitute a part of that character, but the prayers of 
devout men have a mighty efficacy — a mighty efficacy 
in heaven — a mighty efficacy in drawing down blessings, 
not only on themselves, but on all around them ; yea^ 
on the cause of God throughout the earth. The prayers 
and alms of Cornelius brought an angel from heaven, to 
direct him where to find the instruction which he need- 
ed ; and in the sequel, the miraculous influence of the 
Holy Ghost fell on him, and on all his friends who had 
assembled at his invitation. Brethren, we expect no 
miracles ; but O ! if we had more men like Cornelius ; 
if the ministers of the gospel were more like him ; if 
private christians more resembled him ; if we had more 
of those who wrestle with God, more who are migh- 
ty in prayer we should certainly see the blessed 

effects of their powerful and prevalent intercession. 
The Holy Spirit would descend in his saving influence. 
Revivals of pure religion would take place. Our houses 
would become Bethels; our children would become pil- 
lars in the church of the living God $ our schools and 



DISCOURSE IX. 251 

colleges would become nurseries of piety, as well as of 
science ; and means and instruments would be furnished 
for evangelizing the world. Yes — devout men are pre- 
cisely those who must evangelize the world. Their 
alms must furnish the necessary funds, and their pray- 
ers must draw down the blessing of God on missions to 
the heathen, the Mahometans and the Jews. Here, at 
this moment, is the great want. We want more devout 
men ; and till we have them, the gospel will not obtain 
its most rapid and wide extention. Let every chris- 
tian be sensible of this ; and as he values his own hap- 
piness ; as he desires the salvation of immortal souls ; 
and above all, as be would most extensively promote the 
declarative glory of his God and Saviour, let him as- 
pire to more eminence in the character of a devout 
man. 

In conclusion, I particularly call upon you, my young 
friends, to remember that you are now in the period of 
life most favourable to the formation of this truly 
excellent and sublime character. Listen to the obser- 
vations of one of my venerable predecessors in office, 
distinguished for his profound knowledge of human na- 
ture, and accurate observation of mankind. " Suffer 
me — said Doctor Witherspoon, in addressing a class of 
youth in this college, as I now address you — " Suffer 
me, upon this subject, earnestly to recommend to all 
that fear God, to apply themselves from their earliest 
youth, to the exercises of piety, a life of prayer and 
communion with God. This is the source from which 



352 DISCOURSE IX. 

a real christian must derive the secret comfort of his 
heart, and which alone will give beauty, consistency 
and uniformity, to an exemplary life. The reason 
why I mention it on this occasion is, that youth, when 
the spirits are lively, and the affections vigorous and 
strong, is the season when this habit must be formed. 
There are advantages and disadvantages attending 
every stage of life. An aged christian will naturally 
grow in prudence, vigilance, usefulness, attention to the 
course of providence, and submission to the divine will ; 
but he will seldom attain to greater fervor of affection, 
and life in divine worship, than he had been accustom- 
ed to from his early years" — -And is it so, my dear 
youth, that if you are ever eminently devout, you must 
begin to be so now ? Must this best of all attainments 
be soon made, or the hope of making it be resigned for- 
ever ? I know you are ambitious to have influence on 
earth. But by being devout you will, as you have heard, 
have influence in heaven. Here is the highest, as well 
as the holiest distinction of mortals. Every devout 
man, like Jacob, " has power with God." His prayers 
prevail where the issue of battles is decided ; where 
kings receive their thrones or are hurled from them ; 
where the destinies of empires are ordered ; where na- 
tious are blessed or cursed ; yea, where salvation is 
extended to immortal souls— one of which is of more 
value than the material universe, or than all the temporal 
felicities of man. O! if you aspire, aspire to do good; 
aspire to be prevalent intercessors before the throne of 



DISCOURSE IX. 253 

God. — Blessed Spirit of all grace ! breathe, O breathe, 
we humbly beseech Thee, on these precious youth. 
Transform and sanctify every heart. Make every spi- 
rit here devout. Thus shall we be prepared to serve 
God and our generation most extensively on earth, and 
then to rise and join in that perfect devotion, which 
saints and seraphs, in the temple above, oiFer, through 
the ages of eternity, to the Father, to the Son, and to 
the Holv Ghost. Amen. 



NOTES 



TO THE 



PRECEEDXNG DISCOURSES, 



NOTE A— Page 4. 

AS it is the current opinion of the best criticks that the Greek frag- 
ment, which exhibits the name of St. Paul and purports to be part 
of a lost work of Longinus, is genuine ; the author considered him- 
self as much at liberty to make the assertion to which this note 
refers, as if the passage alluded to had been found in the celebrated 
treatise on the sublime. In this fragment of Longinus, after naming 
certain Greek writers whose works afforded examples of the su- 
blime in writing, he says — sr^s rovrofg UetvAos o Tccp<rev$, ov rtvee, xcu 
■zrpooTov <Pvf<u "zrpoisrciifAsvov ^hyftxros civoi,7rofoiKTov. — "And further, 
Paul of Tarsus, the chief supporter of an opinion not yet establish- 
ed." Smith's translation. 



NOTE B—Page 13. 

IT is known to those who are acquainted with the state of religion 
in this country, about the middle of the last century, that a great 
and general attention to religion was, at that time, excited in a large 
part of what were then called the British provinces of North Amer- 
ica. The population of the whole intervening region between Mary- 
land and Massachusetts Bay, was, in a greater or less degree, affect- 
ed by this excitement. The celebrated George Whitefield, 
was chiefly instrumental in producing the religious impressions 
which were then so extensively and generally felt. He, however, 



256 NOTES. 

had many and active friends and coadjutors ; and he was also 
opposed and censured by many and bitter enemies. The author 
avows himself of the number of those, who believe that a great and 
glorious revival of religion then took place ; the happy effects of 
which, in a measure, remain to the present time. It is not denied, 
however, and it was admitted and deplored by the friends of the re- 
vival while it existed, that in many places and in numerous instan- 
ces, there was much extravagance and delusion. And was it ever 
otherwise, among those who had been brought up in ignorance or 
formality, when suddenly and powerfully impressed with a sense of 
their dangerous state and the importance of their eternal concerns ? 
Here was, in fact, the real cause of most of the excesses and errors 
which abounded, at the period contemplated. The proper remed) 7 
or preventive of these evils, so far as human efforts can remedy or 
prevent them, is a well educated ministry, a competent number of 
able and pious pastors, and a general diffusion of religious knowl- 
edge, and accurate doctrinal instruction, among the people at large. 

The whole of the extraordianry attention to religion, of which the 
ministry of Mr. Whitefi eld and that of his fellow labourers had been 
the instrumental cause, was often and unsparingly reviled and 
ridiculed, by the enemies of vital piety. This, of course, rendered 
them the objects of deep abhorrence by those who were the subjects 
of their censure and sarcasm. But a worse effect was, that those 
who most needed to be instructed and reclaimed from error and 
extravagance, were rendered exceedingly jealous of friends as well 
as enemies ; jealous of almost every man who did not justify their 
excesses ; jealous of him as hostile to the whole revival, and to 
what they considered as the special work of the Divine Spirit. It 
was happy for the American church, at this time, that she possessed 
such men as Dickinson and Edwards. These men were well and 
widely known for their exemplary holiness of life ; and as the advo- 
cates of orthodox principles and vital godliness. They were, like- 
wise, known to be the friends of Mr. Whitefield, promoters of the re- 
vival of religion, and vindicators of it, so far as it did not exceed what 
reason and revelation would justify. Their acknowledged talejits, 
also, gave great weight to their opinions. They both came forward., 
most opportunely, and ultimately with great effect, to correct the 
errors and enthusiasm which attended the revival ; while they de- 
fended it generally, against the attacks of its adversaries. What 
was written by president Edwards, from his eminence as an author, 
and from being printed with his other works, is pretty fully and exten- 
sively known. This is not the case with the production of president 
Dickinson, on the same subject ; although no contemporaneous pub- 



NOTES. 257 

ligation was probably as much read or had as much influence. It is 
the second edition of this excellent tract which now lies before the 
writer, and which bears the following extended title — 

* A DISPLAY OF GOD'S SPECIAL GRACE, 

IN 

A FAMILIAR DIALOGUE, 

BETWEEN 

A MINISTER AND A GENTLEMAN OF HIS CONGREGATION, 

ABOUT 

The work of God in the conviction and conversion of sinners, so 
remarkably of late begun and going on in these American parts. 

WHEREIN 

The objections against some uncommon appearances among us 
are distinctly considered, 

Mistakes rectified, and the work itself particularly proved to be 
from the Holy Spirit. 

with 

An addition, in a second conference, relating to sundry Antino- 

mian principles, begining to obtain in some places. 

By the Rev. Mr. Jonathan Dickinson, Minister of the Gospel at 
Elizabeth-Town in New- Jersey. 

Philadelphia, printed and sold by William Bradford at the 
sign of the Bible in Second-street , 1743." 

It appears that the pamphlet, the purport of which is stated in 
the preceeding title page, was, at first, published without the name 
of the author. The reason for this we are not told. But it appears 
to have occasioned an attestation to the excellence of the publica- 
tion, from the ministers of the town of Boston, which will be given 
at length. The second edition, after the author of the pamphlet 
was known, was, in addition to what had been said by the ministers 
of Boston, accompanied by an attestation from a number of Mr. 
Dickinson's fellow presbyters. From this latter attestation, as it 
is in substance the same as the other, a few extracts only will be 
given. 

12 



258 NOTES. 

It has been with mingled emotions of pleasure and regret, that the 
writer has read these attestations, and looked back to the period at 
which they were published. Retaining himself the sentiments of 
those eminent and venerable ministers of the gospel of Christ and 
fathers of the American churches, whose names are subscribed, he 
has contemplated with delight the agreement in views and opinion, 
which then existed among so many of the leading men in the church, 
in the Eastern and Western parts of our country. With deep re- 
gret he has contemplated the change, which has since taken place. 
But believing that it will give pleasure to some who may chance to 
read this note, to see the harmony Avhich then prevailed, as well as 
to observe the estimation in which one of the publications of the first 
president of New- Jersey college was held ; and that it will also ex- 
hibit a state of facts of some importance in the religious history of 
our country, and of some bearing on the history of the college ; he- 
has resolved to republish what he has already mentioned. Imme- 
diately succeeding the title page, which has been quoted, is the 
following 

" ATTESTATION." 
He must be a stranger in Israel, who has not heard of the uncom- 
mon religious appearances in several parts of this land, among per- 
sons of all ages and characters. 

This is an affair which has in some degree drawn every one's 
attention, and been the subject of much debate both in conversation 
and writing. And the grand question is, whether it be a work of 
God, and how far it is so ? The most serious and judicious, both 
ministers and christians, have looked upon it to be in the main, a 
genuine work of GOD, and the effect of that effusion of the Sfiirit 
of Grace, which the faithful have been praying, hoping, longing and 
waiting for ; while at the same time they have looked upon some 
circumstances attending it, to be from natural temper, human weak- 
ness, or the subtility and malice of Satan permitted to counteract 
this divine operation. 

But here rightly to distmguish is a matter of no small difficulty ; 
and requires both a scriptural knowledge of, and an experimental 
acquaintance with, the things of the Sjiirit of God. 

Mr. Edward's discourse concerning the distinguishing marks of a 
work of the Spirit of God, has met with deserved acceptance, and 
been of great use. — The following performance, by another dear and 
Reverend brother, in a different part of the country, is also in our 
opinion, exceeding well adapted to serve the same design, viz. to 
help people to judge of the present work, whether and how far it is 



NOTES. 25S 

&/ God ; and to remove those prejudices, which may keep them 
from owning it to the honour of God, and from coming under the 
power of it to their own salvation. 

Here the reader will see the ordinary works of the Spirit of 
Grace, in applying the redemption purchased by Christ to particu- 
lar souls judiciously described, in several distinct parts of it convic- 
tion, conversion, and consolation : The necessity of regeneration and 
faith in order to final salvation, and the necessity of conviction and 
humiliation, in order to these clearly evinced, from the reason and 
nature of the thing, as well as the method God has established in 
his word : mistakes, which might prove fatal and undoing, carefully 
guarded against : And very safe and suitable directions given to one 
who is awakened to that enquiry. What must I do to be saved ? 

Whoever takes up this book and reads, has as it were in his hands 
a glass, in which he may behold what manner of person he is '; 
whether a natural or renewed man, a hypocrite or a sound believer. 

The form in which it appears, is Dialogistical ; in the manner of 
ia. conversation carried on by persons under borrowed names ; which 
makes it not the less pleasant, entertaining and instructive. It is a 
method the best suited of any to answer the design : for this way of 
instruction is the most easy and familiar ; engages the attention 
more closely, strikes the mind more directly, and gets the nearest 
access to conscience, which the reader will easily discern to be the 
special aim of the author ; whose name would have been a sufficient 
recommendation of the work had he thought it proper to have 
prefixed it to a performance of this kind. 

But in the want of that, so many of us as have had the pleasure to 
read it in manuscript, do with freedom and satisfaction recommend 
it to those into whose hands it may come, and them to the blessed 
influences of the Divine Spirit in the reading of it. And if partic- 
ular persons while they are reading it, would as it were place them- 
selves in the room of the enquirer in the conversation thus repre- 
sented, with an open mind and a serious disposition, the important 
things which are the subject of it, might by the blessing of Christ, 
be brought so close and home to them, as to put them into something 
of a like frame with that which the two Disciples were in, while they 
conversed with the risen Saviour in their way to Emmaus, who 
said afterwards one to another, Did not our Hearts burn within us 
by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures ? 

And in recommending this book to the world, we would be under- 
stood as owning and bearing a publick testimony to what is called 
the present work of God in this land, as it is here stated and distin~ 
gidshed (separate from those disorders, errors, and delusions, which 



260 NOTES, 

are only the unhappy accidents sometimes accompanying of it) to be 
such a glorious display of the divine power and grace, as may well 
raise our wonder, excite our praises, and engage our prayers, for the 
preservation and progress of it. 

May the children of God then unite in the prayer, Let thy work 
appear more and more unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their 
children ; And the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us ! 
Boston, August 10th, 1742, 

BENJAMIN COLEMAN. 
JOSEPH SEW ALL. 
THOMAS PRINCE. 
JOHN WEBB. 
WILLIAM COOPER. 
THOMAS FOXCROFT. 
JOSHUA GEE. 
The extracts from the other recommendation, are as follow — 

" A PREFATORY ATTESTATION. 
We whose names are under written, with pleasure embrace the 
present occasion, to give a joint and publick testimony to the reality 
and truth of the late revival of religion in this land ; or what is cal- 
led generally and justly the work of God. 

If any should enquire what we mean by the work of God ? we 
think the judicious author of the following dialogue, has given a 
plain and pertinent answer to this enquiry, which we declare our 
approbation of. **###*## 

But here we must observe that divers false reports have been in- 
vented and spread industriously, both by word and writing, in order 
to blacken the character of several ministers, whom God has been 
pleased of his pure goodness to honour with success ; and other 
charges against their conduct, have been invidiously aggravated be- 
yond their proper foundation and set in a false light, and some of 
the subjects of this work have been doubtless treated in the same 
manner. #*###*# 

We think that our Rev. and ingenious brother, Mr. Jonathan 
Dickinson, of Elizabeth- Town, in New- Jersey , who is the author of 
the following dialogues, has, with much judgment and solid reason- 
ing therein, baffled the common cavils of opposers against the work 
of God, and answered the objections of the scrupulous. We cannot 
but highly approve of his description of the nature and necessity of 
conviction, and establishing it upon the impregnable basis of scrip- 
ture and reason. His account of regeneration, faith, and consolation, 
is likewise exactly agreeable to our sentiments. 



NOTES. 261 

We likewise concur with our Rev. author, in his seasonable effort 
against antinomian errors, expressed in his second dialogue ; and 
declare to the world that we believe and maintain that sanctification 
is the evidence of our justification and indispensably necessary to 
our eternal salvation, and that assurance is not essential to faith, but 
only a separable fruit of it. * * * * * 

And here we cannot but declare our great satisfaction with the 
concurring suffrage of those Rev. and worthy gentlemen, of a supe- 
rior and distinguished character, (whose names are mentioned in the 
preceeding preface) to the blessed work of God in this land. 

We rejoice and give glory to" God, that in this day of blasphemy, 
rebuke and insult, he is pleased to raise up witnesses in divers parts 
of the world to appear for his cause by publick attestations and de- 
fences, amongst whom we would mention with due honour and res- 
pect, the Rev. Mr. JSdwdrds, of Northampton in New- England) in 
his sermon upon the distinguishing marks of the work of the true 
Spirit, and in his late book, entitled, Some thoughts concerning the 
revival of religion in A r ew- England, and the way it ought to be ac- 
knowledged and approved, in five parts. Likewise the Rev. Mr. 
Robe, 

And the Rev. Mr. Alexander Webster, of Edinburgh, in his book, 
entitled, divine influence the true spring of the extraordinary work 
at Cambuslang, and other parts of the west of Scotland. 

Before we conclude we think it necessary to advertise the reader 
of this particular, namely, that though the Rev. author of the ensu- 
ing dialogues, did not think it proper to prefix his name to the first 
edition of them; yet, being now asked, he allows his name to be 
mentioned in this second edition ; but we must not longer detain the 
reader from the performance itself : we therefore conclude and re- 
main his friends and servants in Jesus Christ. 
Philadelphia, June 1st, 1743. 

GILBERT TENNENT. 

WILLIAM TENNENT. 

SAMUEL BLAIR. 

RICHARD TREAT. 

SAMUEL FINLEY. 

JOHN BLAIR." 
It seems surprising that the works of president Dickinson have 
never been collected, and printed in a regular series. Several of 
them have passed through a number of editions, in a detached form. 
It is to be hoped that they will yet appear in volumes. In addition 
to the excellence of the matter, their style is perhaps superior to 



262 NOTES. 

that of any other writer in this country, at the period of their first 
publication. It is remarkably easy and perspicuous ; and, except 
that it is a little blemished by the colloquial abbreviations then in 
fashion, is in general neat and pure,v 



NOTE C— Page 21. 

THE following sketch of the life and character of Governor 
Belcher^ is taken from " An American biographical and historical 
dictionary — By William Allen, A. M." — now the Rev. Doctor 
Allen, president of Bowdoin college ; a work to which the writer 
has been much indebted, and which he highly esteems. 

" Belcher, (Jonathan) governor of Massachusetts and New- Jer- 
sey, was the son of the Honourable Andrew Belcher, of Cambridge, 
one of his majesty's council in the province of Massachusetts Bay, 
and was born about the year 1681. His father took peculiar care in 
regard to the education of this son, on whom the hopes of the family 
were fixed. He was graduated at Harvard college, in 1699. While 
a member of this institution, his open and pleasant conversation, join- 
ed with his manly and generous conduct, conciliated the esteem of 
all his acquaintance. Not long after the termination of his collegial 
course, he visited Europe, that he might enrich his mind by his ob- 
servations upon the various manners and characters of men, and 
might return, furnished with that useful knowledge, which is gained 
by intercourse with the world. 

During an absence of six years from his native country, he was 
preserved from those follies, into which inexperienced youth are fre- 
quently drawn, and he even maintained a constant regard to that 
holy religion, of which he had early made a profession. He was 
every where treated with the greatest respect. The acquaintance 
which he formed with the princess Sophia and her son, afterwards 
king George II, laid the foundation of his future honours. After his 
return from his travels, he lived in Boston, in the character of a mer- 
chant, with great reputation. He was chosen a member of the coun- 
cil, and the general assembly sent him as an agent of the province 
to the British court in the year 1722. 

After the death of governor Burnet, he was appointed by his maj- 
esty to the government of Massachusetts and New-Hampshire, in 
1730. In this station he continued eleven years. His style of living 
was elegant and splendid, and he was distinguished for hospitality. 
By the depreciation of the currency His salary was much diminished 



NOTES. £63 

in value ; but he disdained any unwarrantable means of enriching 
himself, though apparently just and sanctioned by his predecessors 
in office. He had been one of the principal merchants of New-Eng- 
land ; but he quitted his business on his accession to the chair of the 
first magistrate. Having a high sense of the dignity of his commis- 
sion, he was determined to support it, even at the expense of his 
private fortune. Frank and sincere, he was extremely liberal in his 
censures, both in conversation and letters. This imprudence in a 
publick office, gained him enemies, who were determined on re- 
venge. He also assumed some authority, which had not been exer- 
cised before, though he did not exceed his commission. These 
causes of complaint, together with a controversy respecting a fixed 
salary, which had been transmitted to him from his predecessors, 
and his opposition to the land bank company, finally occasioned his 
removal. His enemies were so inveterate, and so regardless of jus- 
tice and truth, that, as they were unable to find real grounds for im- 
peaching his integrity, they forged letters for the purpose of his 
ruin. On being superseded, he repaird to court, where he vindica- 
ted his character and conduct, and exposed the base designs of his 
enemies. He was restored to the royal favor, and was promised the 
first vacant government in Amerjca. This vacancy occured in the 
province of New- Jersey, where he arrived in 1747 > and where he 
spent the remaining years of his life. In this province his memory 
has been held in deserved respect. 

When he first arrived in this province, he found it in the utmost 
confusion by tumults and riotous disorders, which had for some time 
prevailed. This circumstance, joined to the unhappy controversy 
between the two branches of the legislature, rendered the first part 
of his administration peculiarly difficult ; but by his firm and pru- 
dent measures, he surmounted the difficulties of his situation.. He 
steadily pursued the interest of the province, endeavouring to distin- 
guish and promote men of worth without partiality. He enlarged 
the charter of Princeton college, and was its chief patron and bene- 
factor. Even under the growing infirmities of age, he applied himself 
with his accustomed assiduity and diligence to the high duties of his 
office. He died at Elizabeth-Town, August 31, 1757, aged seventy- 
six years. His body was brought to Cambridge, Massachusetts, 
where he was entombed. 

Governor Belcher possessed uncommon gracefulness of person 
and dignity of deportment. He obeyed the royal instructions on the 
one hand, and exhibited a real regard to the liberties and happiness 
of the people on the other. He was distinguished by his unshaken 
integrity, by his zeal for justice, and care to have it equally distribu- 



264 NOTES. 

ted. Neither the claims of interest, nor the solicitations of friends 
could move him from what appeared to be his duty. He seems to 
have possessed, in addition to his other accomplishments, that piety, 
whose lustre is eternal. His religion was not a mere formal thing, 
which he received from tradition, or professed in conformity to the 
custom of the country in which he lived ; it was real and genuine, 
for it impressed his heart and governed his life. He had such 
views of the majesty and holiness of God, of the strictness and puri- 
ty of the divine law, and of his own unworthiness and iniquity, as 
made him disclaim all dependence on his own righteousness, and led 
him to place his whole hope for salvation on the merits of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, who appeared to him an all sufficient and glorious Sa- 
viour. He expressed the humblest sense of his own character and 
the most exalted views of the rich, free, and glorious grace, offered 
in the gospel to sinners. His faith worked by love and produced the 
genuine fruits of obedience. It exhibited itself in a life of piety and 
devotion, of meekness and humility, of justice, truth, and benevo- 
lence. He searched the holy scriptures with the greatest diligence 
and delight, in his family he maintained the worship of God, himself 
reading the volume of truth, and addressing in prayer the majesty 
of heaven and of earth, so long as his health and strength would 
possibly admit. In the hours of retirement he held intercourse with 
heaven, carefully redeeming time from the business of this world to 
attend to the more important concerns of another. Though there 
was nothing ostentatious in his religion, yet he was not ashamed to 
avow his attachment to the gospel of Christ, even when he exposed 
himself to ridicule and censure. When the Rev. Mr. Whitefield 
was at Boston in the year 1740, he treated that eloquent itinerant 
with the greatest respect. He even followed him as far as Worces- 
ter, and requested him to continue his faithful instructions and 
pungent addresses to the conscience, desiring him to spare neither 
ministers nor rulers. He was indeed deeply interested in the pro- 
gress of holiness and religion. As he approached the termination of 
his life, he often expressed his desires to depart, and to enter the 
world of glory. — Burr's funeral sermon ; Hutchinson, ii. 367 — 397 ; 
Holme's annals, ii. 224 ; Smith's New-Jersey \ 437, 438 ; Belknap's 
jfew- Hampshire, ii. 95, 96, 126, 165—180 ; Whitefield >s journal for 
1743 ; Marshall, i. 299 ; Minot's Mass. i. 61/' 

The first entry, in the first volume of the minutes of the Trustees 
of the College of New-Jersey, is a copy of the Charter. The next 
entry is the subjoined extract; which will show that Governor 






NOTES. 265 

Belcher was regarded as the founder of the college, and that the 
trustees entertained a very grateful sense of his services and liberal- 
ity on that occasion. 

" On Thursday Oct. 13th, 1748, convened at New-Brunswick — 

James Hude, Andrew Johnston, Thomas Leonard, Esq'rs ;— 
Messrs. John Pierson, Ebenezer Pemberton, Joseph Lamb, William 
Tennent, Richard Treat, David Cowell, Aaron Burr, Timothy 
Jones, Thomas Arthur, Ministers of the Gospel, William P. Smith, 
Gent. ; thirteen of those nominated in the charter to be trustees of 
the College ; who having accepted the charter, were qualified and 
incorporated according to the directions thereof ; and being a quo- 
rum of the corporation, proceeded, as the charter directs, to choose 
a clerk — 

Thomas Arthur, chosen clerk of the corporation. 

Voted, That an address be made to the Governor, to thank his 
Excellency for the grant of the charter ; and that at least one of our 
number be appointed to wait on his Excellency and present the 
same. 

An address being drawn up by the Rev. Mr. Burr, was read and 
approved. 

Ordered, That the Rev. Mr. Cowell wait upon his Excellency 
and present the address to him. 

Ordered, That a copy of the address be taken by the clerks and 
inserted in the minutes. 

to his Excellency 
JONATHAN BELCHER, Esq.. 

Captain General and Governor in Chief of the province of New- 
Jersey, and territories thereon depending in America, and Vice- Ad- 
miral of the same ; — 

The humble address of the Trustees of the college of New- Jersey ; 

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY— 

We have often adored that wise and gracious Providence, which 
has placed your Excellency in the chief seat of government in this 
province ; and have taken our part with multitudes in congratulat- 
ing New- Jersey upon that occasion. 

Your long known and well approved friendship to religion and 
learning, left us no room to doubt your doing all that lay in your 
power to promote so valuable a cause in these parts ; and upon this 
head our most raised expectations have been abundantly answered. 
We do, therefore, cheerfully embrace this opportunity of paying 
our most sincere and grateful acknowledgements to your Excel- 
lency, for granting so ample and well contrived a Charter for erecting 
a seminary of learning in this province, which has been so much 
wanted and so long desired. 

M2 



266 NOTES. 

And as it has pleased your Excellency to intrust us with so impor- 
tant a charge, it shall be our study and care to approve ourselves 
worthy the great confidence you have placed in us, by doing our ut- 
most to promote so noble a design. 

And since we have your Excellency to direct and assist us in this 
important and difficult undertaking, we shall engage in it with the 
more freedom and cheerfulness ; not doubting but by the smiles of 
Heaven, under your protection, it may prove a flourishing seminary 
of piety and good literature; and continue not only a perpetual mon- 
ument of honour to your name, above the victories and triumphs of 
renowned conquerors, but a lasting foundation for the future pros- 
perity of church and state. 

That your Excellency may long live a blessing to this province, 
an ornament and support to our infant college ; — that you may see 
your generous designs for the public good take their desired effect, 
and at last receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away, — is and 
shall be our constant prayer. 

By order of the trustees, 

THOMAS ARTHUR, CI : Coiv 

New-Brunswick, Oct. 13th, 1748. 

To which his Excellency was pleased to return the following 

answer. 

Gentlemen, 

I have this day received by one of your members, the Rev. Mr. 
Cowell, your kind and handsome address ; for which I heartily re- 
turn you thanks ; and shall esteem my being placed at the head of 
this government, a still greater favour from God and the king, if it 
may at any time fall in my power, as it is in my inclination, to pro- 
mote the kingdom of the great Redeemer, by taking the college of 
New-Jersey under my countenance and protection, as a seminary of 
true religion and good literature. 

J. BELCHER." 

As Governor Belcher was the founder of the college, so it will ap- 
pear by the following extracts that it was he who advised and 
urged the erection of the college edifice ; when as yet the funds of 
the institution were so scanty that, but for his countenance and zeal, 
the enterprise would have been deemed impracticable. This edifice 
was, for many years, the largest single building in our country. 



notes. aSr 

"NEWARK, Sept. 27th, 1752. 
# # * * 

" His Excellency Governor Belcher was pleased to deliver in a 
speech to the board of the trustees, together with certain proposals 
respecting the important interests of the college : which being read, 
the trustees unanimously voted his Excellency their hearty thanks, 
for his kind regard for the welfare of this infant seminary ; — that his 
Excellency's speech be drawn into the college book, and said pro- 
posals be taken under immediate consideration." 

His Excellency's speech was in the following words : 

Gentlemen of the trustees of the college of New-Jersey. s Tis 
with much satisfaction that I meet you this day (being the anniver- 
sary of our commencement) hoping we are come together, to act as 
with one heart and mind for the best establishment of our infant col- 
lege, which I trust, by the favor of Almighty God, will become a 
singular blessing in this and the neighbouring provinces ; to the pre- 
sent and future generations. 

By the latest advices from England, I am sorry to find, that the 
difficulty we have been under of procuring a proper person to under- 
take a voyage to Great Britain, for soliciting our friends there to ex- 
tend their good will and bounty towards us, has, at present, lost us a 
reasonable prospect of their assistance and benefactions ; but which 
I still hope, may be obtained hereafter. 

In the mean time, I think it our duty, to exert ourselves, in all 
reasonably ways and measures we can, for the aid and assistance of 
our friends nearer home ; that we may have wherewith to build a 
house for the accommodation of the students, and another for the 
president and his family : And it seems therefore necessary, that, 
without further delay, we agree upon the place where to set these 
buildings. By the smiles of heaven upon this undertaking, the stu- 
dents have become so numerous as that " the bed is shorter than that 
a man can stretch himself upon it, and the covering narrower than 
that he can wrap himself in it." Besides, the way and method we 
are in, as to the place and manner of instructing the youth, looks to 
me like lighting a candle, and putting it under a bushel. Although 
every thing must have its beginning, and these things commonly ad- 
vance by slow paces ; yet we find by the neighbouring provinces, that 
seminaries of this kind have always increased faster, and been more 
useful to the world, after the building of colleges than before. I 
therefore hope you will closely apply yourselves, so as to come to a, 
conclusion in this material article. 



268 NOTES. 

I have minuted several other things, which I think may be of good 
service to this society, and which shall be also read to you, in order 
to be got through at this time : And I wish we may patiently keep 
together till they are done. 

It is almost needless to tell you, that (through the sparing mercy 
and forbearance of a gracious God) I have passed the stated peri- 
od of human life ; and I may say with that eastern prince of old 
" my days are extinct, and the graves are ready for me ;" therefore 
before " I shall go hence and be here no more, ,, if I may, by any 
ways or means, be serviceable to this seminary of religion and learn- 
ing, it will give me pleasure in life and comfort in death. 

J. BELCHER, 

Newark, September 27th, 1752. 

The trustees, taking into consideration that the people of New- 
Brunswick have not complied with the terms proposed to them for 
fixing the college in that place, by the time refered to in the offer of 
this board ; now voted, that they are free from any obligation to fix 
the college at New-Brunswick, and are at liberty to place it where 
they please. 

The trustees agree that it should be put to vote, in what place the 
college shall be fixed, upon such conditions as this board shall pro- 
pose. 

Voted, that the college be fixed in Princeton ; upon condition that 
the inhabitants of said place secure to the trustees that two hundred 
acres of woodland, and that ten acres of cleared land, which Mr. 
Sergant viewed ; and also one thousand pounds proc. money ; the 
one half of which sum to be paid within two months after the foun- 
dation of the college is laid, and the other half within the next six 
months afterward ; and that the people of said place comply with 
the terms of this vote within three months of this time, by giving in 
bends for said money, and making a sufficient title for said lands, to 
be received by such persons as this board shall appoint ; or also for- 
feit all privilege from this vote ; and that the treasurer be empow-> 
ered to give them a bond for the fulfilment of this vote, on the part 
of the trustees. 

The trustees appoint Messrs President Burr, Samuel Woodruff, 
Jonathan Sergeant, Elihu Spencer, and Caleb Smith, to be a commit- 
tee, to transact the above said affair with the inhabitants of Prince- 
ton ; and that Elizabeth-town be the place for accomplishing the 
same." 

The following extracts and remarks will exhibit the circumstan- 
ces attending the permanent location of the college, the erection of 
the edifice, the liberality of Gov, Belcher in the donation of his libra- 



NOTES. 269 

•ry, portrait, Sec. the gratitude of the trustees, the refusal of the Gov- 
ernor to permit the edifice to be called by his name, and his reasons 
for giving it the name which it now bears. 

" PRINCETON, January 24th, 1753. 



The committee appointed last meeting to manage the affair with 
the Princeton people, about having the college in that place, laid be- 
fore this board what they had done in this matter ; and it is now 
voted, that said people (when Mr. Randolph has given deed for a 
certain tract of land of four hundred feet front, and thirty pole depth, 
in lines at right angles with the broad street, where it is proposed 
that the college shall be built) have complied with the terms propos- 
ed to them for fixing the college in said place. 

Voted, that Mr. Cowell and Mr. Hazard be desired to get a suffi- 
cient deed prepared for the conveyance of the above said land, to be 
laid before this board at their next meeting. 

BURLINGTON, May 23d, 1753. 



Voted — That Mr. Pemberton, William Smith, Esq. William P. 
Smith, and Peter Van B. Livingston, be appointed to draw up an ad- 
dress, in the name of the trustees, to his Excellency Governor Bel- 
cher, humbly to desire that he would use his influence in Europe, 
recommending the affair of the college, by the gentlemen appointed 
to take a voyage there to solicit benefactions for it." 

The Rev. Gilbert Tennent of Philadelphia, and the Rev. Samuel 
JDavies, then of Hanover, in Virginia, and afterwards president of 
the college, had been appointed, and had consented, to make a voy- 
age to Great Britain, for the purpose specified in the foregoing min- 
ute. They went, with the warmest recommendations the Governor 
could give them : And it appears that it was chiefly from the liberal 
contributions which they obtained in England and Scotland, that the 
expense of building the college edifice, and a house for the presi- 
dent, was defrayed ; and that a small fund was afterwards formed to 
assist in paying the salaries of the officers of the college. 

" PRINCETON, July 22d, 1754. 

The trustees agreed to purchase ten acres of land from Mr. Hor- 
ner, contiguous to the seven acres given to the college, and the trea- 
surer is ordered to pay to Mr. Horner, fifty pounds proc. within tw<* 



270 NOTES'. 

months from this time, and fifty pounds within a year after ; upon 
condition that Mr. Horner give a well executed deed for said land : 
And Mr. Cowell is desired to see the land surveyed, and receive the 
deed for it. 

Voted — That Thomas Leonard, Esq. Samuel Woodruff, Esq. with 
Messrs Cowell, William Tennent, Burr, Treat, Brainerd and Smith, 
be a committee, to act in behalf of the trustees in building the col- 
lege, according to the plan that shall be agreed on at this meeting ; 
And also to proceed in building a president's house and kitchen, 
with all conveniences for accomodating college, as soon as they shall 
think necessary — Provided, that the plan for the president's house 
be agreed on by a majority of the trustees that shall be present at 
the next commencement at Newark ; and that any three of the said 
committee be empowered to act, provided that a majority of said 
committee are duly notified of the time and place of the said meet- 
ing : And the said committee are hereby empowered to draw upon 
the treasurer for any sum or sums of money, for carrying on the 
said buildings. 

Voted — That laying the foundation of the college be proceeded up- 
on immediately. That the plan drawn by Doct. Shippen and Mr. 
Robert Smith, be, in general, the plan of the college. That the col- 
lege be built of brick, if good brick can be made at Princeton, and if 
sand can be got reasonably cheap. That it be three stories high, and 
without any cellar. 

Voted — That Mr. Samuel Hazard and Mr. Robert Smith, fix on 
the spot for building, and mark out the ground. 

NEWARK, September 25th, 1754, 



Voted — That the college be built of stone, and the president's 
house of wood." 

There is no record that the latter part cf this vote was rescinded ; 
but the fact was, that the president's house was built of brick. 

" Voted — That the qommittee appointed at Princeton to act in be- 
half of the trustees in building the college be continued, with all 
their power. 

ELIZABETHTOWN, May rth, 1/55, 

* * * * 

A catalogue of books belonging to his Excellency Jonathan Belcher, 
Esq." 8cc. 

Then follows a catalogue of the books of the Governor's library, 
which were formally made over to the college, in the subjoined in- 



NOTES. zn 

btrument. This library consisted of 474 volumes. Many of the 
books were highly valuable ; but such of them as remained, after 
the purloining of the British and American armies, when they suc- 
cessively occupied the college edifice, were nearly all consumed, 
with the edifice, on the 6th of March, 1802." 

To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting, I Jonathan 
Belcher, Captain-General, Governor and Commander in chief of the 
province of New- Jersey, send greeting. Know ye, that I, the said 
Jonathan Belcher, as well for and in consideration of the regard 
which I bear to the interest of the college, lately incorporated in the 
province aforesaid, as also for the sum of ten shillings lawful money 
of New- Jersey, to me in hand paid, the receipt whereof I do hereby 
acknowledge ; and for divers other good causes and considerations 
me thereunto moving, have given and granted, and do by these pre- 
sents give, grant and confirm, unto the trustees of the said college 
of New-Jersey and their successors, for the use and benefit of the 
said college forever, all my library of books, a catalogue whereof is 
hereunto * together with my own picture at full 

•length, in a gilt frame, now standing in my blue chamber ; also one 
pair of globes, and ten pictures in black frames, over the mantle 
piece in my library room, being the heads of the Kings and Queens 
of England ; and also my large carved gilded coat of arms — To have 
and to hold, all and singular the said library of books, and other the 
aforesaid premises, unto the said trustees of the college of New- Jer- 
sey and their successors, to the only proper use and benefit of the 
said college forever ; without any manner of challenge, blame of 
demand from me the said Jonathan Belcher, or from any other per- 
son or persons whatsoever, for me, or any of my heirs or executors, 
after my death ; or without any money, or other thing, to be yielded 
therefor, unto me the said Jonathan Belcher, rny heirs, executors and 
assigns ; reserving for myself, nevertheless, the possession and use 
of all the aforegoing premises during my natural life : And I the 
said Jonathan Belcher, all and singular the aforesaid articles of 
books, pictures, globes and coat of arms, to the said trustees of the 
college aforesaid and their successors, against all people will war- 
rant and forever defend by these presents. And farther know ye, 
that I the said Jonathan Belcher, have put the said trustees in pos- 
session of all and singular the premises aforesaid, by the delivery of 
one volume of my library aforesaid, unto the trustees of the said 
college : in witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, 

* This blank is in the copy 



272 NOTES. 

this eighth day of May, in the twenty-eighth year of his Majesties 
reign, and in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and 
fifty-five. 

Sealed and delivered in the presence"^ 

B ° f " S I J. BELCHER 

Robert Ogden, 

John Grigg. 



] 



Elizabeth-Town, New- Jersey, May 8th, 1755. 
This day personally appeared before me, the above named Jona- 
than Belcher, Esq. and acknowledged the aforegoing Instrument to 
be his voluntary act and deed. 

MATTHIAS HETFIELD, 
Justice of Peace for the province of New-Jersey. 

Newark, September 24th, 1755. The trustees of the college of 
New- Jersey, met, according to adjournment. 

* * # * 

His Excellency Governor Belcher, having been pleased to make 
a generous donation of his library of books, with other valuable or- 
naments, to the college of New- Jersey, the trustees voted, that an 
address of thanks be made to his Excellency, and presented by pre- 
sident Burr, William I. Smith, Samuel Woodruff and John Brainerd, 
and that said address be in the following words. 

To his Excellency Jonathan Belcher, Esq. captain-general, and 
governor in chief of the province of Nova-C<eserea, or New-Jersey, 
chancellor, and vice admiral in the same. 

AN ADDRESS FROM THE TRUSTEES OF THE COL- 
LEGE OF NEW-JERSEY. 

May it please your Excellency: 

'Tis with hearts warmed with the liveliest sentiments of gratitude, 
we take this occasion, to recognize that indulgent providence, which 
at first stationed your Excellency at the helm of this government ; 
and still preserves a life so valuable in the eyes of every lover of 
learning and virtue. 

By the skill and prudence of the measures pursued in your admin- 
istration (through the smiles of heaven) harmony, good order, and 
tranquillity, are restored to a province, which, before your accession, 
was unhappily distracted with animosities, tumults and general dis- 
orders. 

But what we are principally to commemorate, sir, is that glorious 
ardour you have always discovered, for the promotion of true piety, 



NOTES. 27S 

and sound literature, among the inhabitants of New- Jersey. We 
are sensible how much, under God, the seminary of learning lately 
erected in this province, and committed to our charge, owes its in- 
fluence and present flourishing state, to your Excellency's patron- 
age and influence. 

We heartily congratulate your Excellency, on the signal success 
with which Heaven has crowned your generous efforts, for the ad- 
vancement of the interests of this noble institution : an institution 
calculated to disperse the mists of ignorance and error, — to cultivate 
the minds of the rising generation, with the principles of knowledge 
and virtue, — to promote the real glory and intrinsic happiness of 
society. 

The extensive recommendations your Excellency was pleased to 
make in Great Britain, of the College of New- Jersey, and your coun- 
tenance and encouragement offered our late mission, to solicit the be- 
nevolence of the friends of learning abroad, demand, at this time, 
our most thankful acknowledgments. We rejoice with you, Sir, on 
the favourable event of that necessary and laudable undertaking. 
An event which hath so amply enabled us to erect a convenient edi- 
fice, for the reception of the students, and hath laid the foundation 
for a fund, for the support of the necessary instructors* 

The zeal your Excellency still unremittingly exerts, in favour of 
this seminary, language would fail us sufficiently to applaud. The 
late extraordinary influence of your generosity, in endowing our pub- 
lic library, with your own excellent collection of volumes, a set of 
globes, and other valuable ornaments, can never be mentioned by us 
without the most grateful emotions. With the highest pleasure we 
reflect, that one of the principal apartments of the building, will be 
adorned with the arms and effigies of its great patron and benefac- 
tor. Donations so seasonable and necessary, must add reputation to 
the society ; enable us more effectually to promote the grand ends of 
its institution, and animate us with redoubled vigour, in the faithful 
discharge of our trust. 

These, with a variety of instances of your Excellency's singular 
concern for the future prosperity of church and state, will engage 
generations yet unborn to rise ufi and call you blessed. 

The disinterested motives which actuate every part of your Excel- 
lency's conduct, must be apparent to all, who are acquainted with 
your amiable character, and the conscious pleasure you find, in being 
instrumental of advancing the glory of the Deity, and the felicity of 

N 3 



2T4 NOTES. 

mankind, is far superior to the transient satisfaction resulting from 
vain eulogiums and exterior greatness. 

Though we are conscious, that the worthy and benevolent deeds, 
which have distinguished your Excellency's life, are abundantly suf- 
ficient to embalm your memory after death ; yet suffer, sir, an at- 
tempt, suggested by the same dictates of gratitude, to transmit your 
name with adventitious honour to distant posterity. As the college 
of New- Jersey views you in the light of its founder, patron and bene- 
factor, and the impartial world will esteem it a respect deservedly 
due to the name of Belcher ; permit us to dignify the edifice now 
erecting at Princeton, with that endeared appellation, and when your 
Excellency is translated to a house not made with hands eternal in 
the heavens, let Belcher-Hall proclaim your beneficent acts, for 
the advancement of Christianity, and the emolument of the arts an^ 
sciences, to the latest ages. 
Newark, September 24th, 1755. 

NEWARK, September 29th, 1756. 

# # * # * 

The gentlemen who were appointed at our last meeting to deliver 
the address of thanks to his Excellency, for the generous donation 
of his library to the college, reported that his Excellency returned 
for answer as follows — 

Gentlemen, 

I give you my hearty thanks for this respectful and affectionate 
address ; but ashamed and sorry I am, that I can make so slender a 
challenge to the merit of it. 

When I first had the honour of his majesty's appointing me a Gov- 
ernor in his plantations (now nineteen years ago) I determined, as 
far as it would consist with his majesty's honour and interest, and 
with the welfare of the people, to look upon moderation, as a wise 
temperament for the easy and happy administration of government: 
and this I believe has greatly contributed to the present peace and 
tranquillity of this province, after the many tumults and riots it had 
been groaning under, for a long time before my arrival. Soon after 
which, it seemed to me, that a seminary for religion and learning 
should be promoted in this province ; for the better enlightening the 
minds, and polishing the manners, of this and the neighbouring colo- 
nies : And to this end, that there should be a society under a good 
institution, for obtaining the desired success. This important affair, 
I have been, during my administration, honestly and heartily prose- 
cuting, in all such laudable ways and measures as I have judged 



NOTES. Z75 

most likely to effect what we all aim at ; which I hope and believe 
is the advancing the kingdom and interest of the blessed Jesus, and 
the general good of mankind. And I desire, in the first place, to 
give praise and thanks to Almighty God, and under him to the many 
generous benefactors who have contributed to the encouragement 
and establishment of the college of New- Jersey; which affair I have 
been pursuing, free from all sinister views and aims, as a thing I 
believe to be acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. And 
when, in God's best time, I must go the way whence I shall not re- 
turn, I shall lay down my head in the grave, with the greater peace 
and comfort, in that God has spared me to live to see the present 
flourishing state of this college ; for whose future welfare and pros- 
perity, I shall pray in some of my latest moments. 

I take a particular grateful notice, of the respect and honour you 
are desirous of doing me and my family, in calling the edifice lately 
erected in Princeton by the name of Belcher-Hall ; but you will be 
so good as to excuse me, while I absolutely decline such an honour, 
for I have always been very fond of the motto of a late great perso- 
nage, Prodesse guam consfiici. But I must not leave this head with- 
out asking the favour of your naming the present building Nassau- 
Hall ; and this I hope you will take as a further instance of my 
real regard to the future welfare and interest of the college, as it 
will express the honour we retain, in this remote part of the globe, 
to the immortal memory of the glorious King William the third, who 
was a branch of the illustrious house of Nassau, and who, under 
God, was the great deliverer of the British nation, from those two 
monstrous furies, Pofiery and Slavery : And who, for the better 
establishment of the true religion and English liberty, brought for- 
ward an act in the British parliament, for securing the crown of 
Great Britain to the present royal family, whereby we now become 
happy under the best of Kings, in the full enjoyment of English lib- 
erty and prosperity. And God Almighty grant we may never want 
a Sovereign from his loins to sway the British sceptre in righteous- 
ness. 

J. BELCHER. 

Whereas his Excellency Governor Belcher has signified to us, his 
declining to have the edifice we have lately erected at Princeton,* 
for the use and service of New-Jersey College, to be called after his 
name, and has desired, for good reasons, that it should be called 
after the name of the illustrious house of Nassau — It is therefore 
voted, and is hereby ordered, that the said edifice be, in all time to 
come, called and known by the name of NASSAU- HAJLL." 



276 • NOTES. 

It is not known to the author that any part of the foregoing ex- 
tracts, from the minutes of the trustees of the college of New- 
Jersey, has ever till now been published. It was presumed] that 
their publication would be gratifying to the alumni, and other 
particular friends of the college. They may also not be devoid of 
interest, to all who take pleasure in tracing the origin of literary 
institutions, as they afford authentic documents in regard to the 
foundation of Nassau-Hall. But the author's chief design in render- 
ing these extracts so copious was, to pay what he deemed a just 
tribute of respect to the memory of Governor Belcher ; and to hold 
up his example as worthy of imitation by all who occupy stations of 
power and trust ; or who possess, in any way, the means of promot- 
ing religion and learning. 

The college still needs a patronage which the spirit of Belcher 
would not fail to afford. It needs an enlargement of its library, of 
its philosophical apparatus, and of its cabinet of mineralogy and 
natural history. It needs an astronomical observatory. It needs the 
endowment of professorships, fellowships, and scholarships. The 
alumni of Nassau-Hall, who may read these notes, will permit the 
author to remind them, that if their Alma Mater is ever liberally 
endowed, it must probably be by them, or through their influence. It 
is believed that she has not forfeited their regard and attachment ; 
nor that she deserves them less now than at any former period. 
But perhaps those of them who are wealthy — and many are so — 
have not considered what a service to science and religion they might 
render, by such endowments as have been specified ; — made either 
by donations while they live, or by testamentary bequests at their 
death. Their memory too might be embalmed, like that of Belcher, 
as the patrons of piety and learning, and their example might incite 
others to acts of liberality and charity, in the highest degree benefit 
cial to society. 

But the author is sensible that he ought not to hold the language 
only of complaint and solicitation, He is called to acknowledged 
with gratitude — and he makes the acknowledgment with unfeigned 
pleasure — that the public liberality was promptly and kindly mani- 
fested when the college edifice was laid in ashes. By that liberality 
it was not only re-edified, but a professor's house was added to the 
establishment, with two large publick buildings three stories high ; — 
one on the East side of the front yard of the college, furnishing 
apartments for a refectory, a philosophical room, and a cabinet of 
Natural History ; — the other, on the West side of the yard, contain- 
ing the libraiy, the mineralogical cabinet, the halls of the literary 
societies, and rooms for the recitations of the several classes. 



NOTES. 277 

By the same liberality a Library, more valuable than that which 
had been consumed was provided for the institution. 

More than five thousand volumes were immediately obtained, 
either by purchase, or by the donations of liberal benefactors ; and 
this number has since been increased to nearly eight thousand vol- 
umes ; which, with the libraries of the literary societies, give the 
professors and pupils of the college access to more than twelve thou- 
sand volumes of the most select and valuable books. The same liber- 
ality, likewise, enabled the trustees to purchase a philosophical 
apparatus, which cost in London two thousand dollars ; but which 
the use and accidents of nearly twenty years have considerably im- 
paired. 

By the order of the board of trustees, the names of all benefactors 
of the college, with the nature and amount of their donations, are 
recorded in books provided for the purpose, which are open to the 
inspection of all who visit the library, and who choose to examine 
them. The author regrets that it is not practicable for him to give, 
in these notes, a complete list of benefactors ; nor even of those 
whose liberality has been considerable. Yet he hopes it will not be 
deemed invidious, to state the donations of those whose munificence, 
either by its amount, or by its adaptedness to the wants of the insti- 
tution, has been most distinguished. 

The family of Lieutenant-Governor Phillips, of Boston, has been 
among the earliest liberal donors to Nassau-Hall. William Phil- 
lips, Esq. with two of his brothers, whose nameshave not been com- 
municated,, made a donation to the college, in If 69, of one thousand 
dollars in cash. The like sum of one thousand dollars in cash was 
given by the present Lieutenant-Governor Phillips, in 1802, to as- 
sist in rebuilding the college edifice ; which was the largest single 
donation, by more than one half, which was made for that purpose. 

Mr. Hugh Hodge, of Philadelphia, and Mr. James Leslie, of 
New- York, the latter an alumnus of the college, left testamentary 
bequests to form a fund for the education in the college of poor and 
pious youth for the gospel ministry > by which, for many years past, 
from nine to eleven youth have been supported annually. Some of 
the most able and useful ministers of the gospel now in this country 
have been educated on this fund. And it is the deliberate opinion of 
the author, that among all the religious charities now patronized, 
and to which he cordially wishes success, there is not one by which 
the interests of true religion would be more immediately and effec- 
tually promoted, than by adding to this fund. 



278 



NOTES. 



Colonel Henry Rutgers, of New- York, at the time a trustee of 
the college, gave to the institution, in the year 1811, the sum of five 
thousand dollars : one of his sisters Mrs. Banker, the sum of one 
thousand dollars: another of his sisters Mrs. McCrea, five hundred 
dollars ; for the purpose of establishing a fund for the support of a 
Vice-President. These sums have been on interest, and have been 
of great advantage to the institution, ever since the period above 
specified. 

The venerable Doctor Elias Boudinot, lately deceased, and at 
the time of his death the oldest trustee of the college, founded in the 
year 1805, a cabinet of Natural History, which cost the sum of three 
thousand dollars : And by his will, he has added to his former boun- 
ty the two following liberal benefactions, viz: — 1. Four thousand 
acres of land, in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania; — from the profits 
of which are to be appropriated one thousand dollars, in the first in- 
stance, for the improvement of the cabinet of Natural History ; and 
the residue for the establishment of fellowships in the college ; so 
that no incumbent, however, be allowed more than two hundred and 
fifty dollars per annum — 2. After his daughter's death, ten thousand 
dollars to the trustees of the college ; half for the use of the college, 
and half for that of the Theological Seminary. 

The Honorable Charles Fenton Mercer, added, a few years 
since, to the Philosophical apparatus of the college, a set of instru- 
ments and articles for Galvanic experiments, of great use and value. 

Joseph Pitcairn, Esq. about five years since, presented to the 
college the splendid and expensive Astronomical Atlas of Bode ; with 
the author's explanatory remarks, in Latin, French and German. 

Doctor David Hosack, of New- York, an alumnus of the college, 
has recently laid the foundation of a Mineralogical cabinet, by the 
donation of about a thousand valuable specimens, and by taking on 
himself the expense of the cases in which they are exhibited to the 
greatest advantage — He has also generously promised to continue to 
make additions to this cabinet. 

Jonathan Bayard Smith, Esq. late of Philadelphia, and Samuel 
Bayard, Esq. of Princeton, New-Jersey, alumni of the college, have 
made the largest donations to the library ; and have their names in- 
scribed over the compartment of shelves, on which are pla- 
ced the volumes which they have presented — There are, however, 
many other donors to the library, whose munificence has been consi- 
derable, and whom it would be gratifying to mention, if the limits to 
which the author is confined would permit. He cannot, however, 
forbear to remark, that the college has been recently much indebted 
to authors for copies of their works, to printers for copies of new pub- 



NOTES. 279 

lications, and to private gentlemen for some exceedingly valuable 
donations of books. It is earnestly hoped that the institution may in- 
crease its debt of gratitude by many favours of a similar kind, here- 
after to be received. 

It may possibly be thought, by some who are not well acquainted 
with the nature and wants of publick literary institutions, that the 
preceding statement affords evidence that the endowments of the 
college are already sufficiently ample. They certainly are believed to 
be such, as to afford to the students of this college the means of ac- 
quiring as complete a course of academick education, as can be 
obtained in any other establishment of the kind in our country. But 
it should be observed that, with the exception of the donations to the 
Vice-President's fund, all the endowments, valuable and important 
as they are, are appropriated to increase the advantages of those 
who receive instruction, and not to the support of those who give it. 
In providing for the salaries of teachers, as well as for the erection 
and repairs of buildings, and the necessary additions to the Library 
and Philosophical Apparatus, the institution has bu'ojlittle aid, except 
that which it derives from the fees of its pupils. This not only im- 
poses the necessity of keeping the number of professors and tutors 
so small as to render their abours exceedingly arduous, but also of 
increasing the expense to tne students of the college. If professor- 
ships, to a considerable extent, were permanently endowed, the fees 
for instruction might be greatly reduced, and at the same time the 
course of education considerably improved. This is what the college 
urgently needs. It particularly needs the endowment of the following 
Professorships, viz. — of Classical Literature; of Mathematicks and 
Natural Philosophy; of Chemistry and Natural History; and of 
Belles Lettres. The endowment of any one of these Professorships 
would be of unspeakable benefit to the institution. — The donation of 
a sum of money to begin a fund, to which additions might be made 
by other donors, for the ultimate endowment of one of these Profes- 
sorships, would be of great importance. The trustees have resolved, 
" That if any person, or association of persons, shall give the sum 
necessary for the establishment of a professorship, lectureship, fel- 
lowship, scholarship, exhibition or premium, such professorship, lec- 
tureship, fellowship, scholarship, exhibition or premium, shall be 
called after the name of the donor." 



(n&o2 



In 



NOTES. 



NOTE D— Page 22. 



THIS NOTE IT IS PROPOSED TO GIVE 



A Historical Sketch of the Origin of the College of New- Jersey ; a 
statement of its design and system of education; a short account of 
the Institution under the administration of its first five Presidents, 
and a Biographical Notice of themselves. 

THE College of New- Jersey was the fourth institution of the 
kind established within the present limits of the United States. 
Those which preceded it were, Harvard, in Massachusetts, found- 
ed A. D. 1638; William and Mary, in Virginia, in 1691; and 
Yale, in Connecticut, in 1701. In the British provinces lying between 
Connecticut and Virginia, that is, in New- York, New- Jersey, Penn- 
sylvania, the lower Counties on Delaware, and Maryland, there was 
not, till the year 1746, any literary institution which was authorized 
to confer degrees in the arts. Within some of these provinces there 
had been, indeed, for many years, several academies or grammar 
schools, in which, to a certain extent, eaucaikm L^rf been well con- 
ducted, and a few excellent classical scholars had been formed; but 
there was no institution in which what is now considered a full course 
of liberal education could be obtained, or its honours be conferred. 

In this state of things, it is natural to suppose, not only that there 
would be many individuals who would be very desirous to have a 
college nearer to them than any which had already been founded, 
but that each of the provinces, in which there was no college, would 
regard it as an object of considerable importance to be before the rest 
in establishing one within its own territory. The fact undoubtedly 
corresponded with what it was thus natural to expect. The existence 
of a college within its limits was considered by every province as 
highly desirable ; as an honourable distinction in itself; as advantage- 
ous to its inhabitants, by affording facilities for the education of their 
own youth ; and as a source of some pecuniary emolument, from the 
expenditures of youth drawn to it from the neighbouring provinces, 
for the purposes of education. 

But beside the difficulty of procuring both funds and teachers for 
a literary establishment, in settlements still in their infancy, a char- 
ter for such an establishment was not then easily obtained. The 
interests and views of the court, in the mother country, were always 
to be consulted on such an occasion, and they often militated with 



NOTES. .281 

the interests and wishes of the colonies. The operation of these 
causes, appears to have prevented the founding of any college, in the 
British provinces intervening between Connecticut and Virginia, for 
the space of five and forty years. That New-Jersey was, eventu- 
ally, the province in which the fourth college was established, must 
be attributed entirely to incidental circumstances. For the reasons 
already assigned, the better informed part of the community were 
doubtless willing to countenance and aid such an institution ; so 
far as this could be done without interfering with considerations of 
a more commanding character. But such considerations existed. 
Court influence, on the one hand, and an ardent spirit of liberty and 
independence, on the other, with controversies relative to proprietary 
claims, had split the province into violent parties, in the conflicts of 
which the general good was often forgotten or disregarded ; and it 
was enough to insure the rejection of almost any measure by one 
party, if it had been proposed, or was favoured by another. In these 
circumstances, the College of New- Jersey traces its origin to the in- 
fluence of religion. 

In the year 1741, the Synod of Philadelphia, representing the 
whole Presbyterian Church in the British provinces, after an ardent 
controversy among its members, of some years continuance, was un- 
happily rent in sunder. The causes of this rent, it is not necessary, 
in this place, particularly to explain. It may be sufficient to state, 
that two rival Synods were formed; that much acrimony was mani- 
fested on both sides ; that the Synod of New- York reproached that 
of Philadelphia, with introducing men to the gospel ministry with- 
out a due regard to their personal piety; and that the Synod of 
Philadelphia recriminated, by charging that of New- York with fa- 
vouring enthusiasm, and with licensing men to preach the gospel 
without adequate literary attainments. It ought also to be noted, 
that the clergy of the Synod of New- York were, to a man, the warm 
friends and coadjutors of Mr. Whitefield, heretofore mentioned ; and 
that those of the Synod of Philadelphia were generally, if not uni- 
versally, his decided opposers. 

The members of these rival bodies were, by their local residence, 
mingled, in some measure, with each other. In the province of 
Pennsylvania, there was perhaps nearly an equal number of the 
members of each of the Synods. Yet they were, in a considerable 
degree, geographically separated, The mass of the Synod of Phila- 
delphia lay to the West, and that of the Synod of New- York to the 
East of the Delaware river. In the province of New- Jersey it is not 
known that there was a single clergyman who belonged to the Synod 



282 NOTES. 

of Philadelphia. The whole Presbyterian population of the province 
was under the care and direction of the Synod of New- York, and 
zealously attached to its ministers and its measures. 

Both Synods, from the time of their separation, made strenuous 
exertions to educate youth for the gospel ministry ; not only from 
the laudable desire of extending the blessings of the gospel to those 
who, in every direction, were then destitute of them, but also from 
the less commendable motive of strengthening and extending each 
its own party. Thus circumstanced and disposed, it was to be ex- 
pected that the members of the Synod of New- York would endea- 
vour to organize their plans of education, in a province where their 
peculiar views were prevalent and popular. New- Jersey was, 
their undisputed territory; and here, if any where, they might 
hope to found an institution in which all their wishes might be real- 
ized. It happened also that in this province the ablest champions of 
their cause, and the man of their Synod who, in all respects, was the 
best qualified to superintend and conduct the education of youth, had 
his residence. This was the Rev. Jonathan Dickinson, of Elizabeth- 
Town, of whom notice has already been taken. 

Nor ought it to pass without observation, that the members of the 
Synod of New- York were sensible that there was a degree of truth 
in the charge of their opponents, that they had introduced into the 
ministry some men whose literary attainments were of an inferior 
order. They believed and maintained that they were justified in 
what they had already done by the necessities of the country, and 
by the loud demand, for preachers of the gospel. But they earnestly 
desired to remove the necessity for such a measure in future; and to 
free themselves from a charge which was calculated to diminish their 
respectability and influence. 

Urged and encouraged by the motives and circumstances which 
have now been explained, the members of the Synod of New- York 
resolved to make a united and strenuous effort to found a college in 
the province of New- Jersey. But although their influence was con- 
siderable, and their exertions unwearied, the object which they 
sought was not easily or speedily attained. The Presbyterians were 
always objects of jealousy to the court party, from their known at- 
tachment to principles and measures which that party did not ap- 
prove. A large proportion also of the population of the province con- 
sisted of other denominations, who took no interest in the feelings and 
wishes of Presbyterians, and in some respects were even hostile to 
them. Yet their unanimity, and zeal, and perseverance, aided by the 
consideration that it would, confessedly, be both honourable and ad- 
vantageous to have a college within the province, eventually prevailed. 



NOTES. 28S 

Complete success, however, was not obtained at once. The present 
charter of the college is not that which was first granted. 

In Smith's history of New- Jersey, it is stated, that " President 
Hamilton gave a charter for a college in 1747, which was enlarged 
by Governor Belcher, in 1748." The first mentioned date in this 
statement, it will soon appear, is materially incorrect. Finding, in- 
deed, no recognition or intimation of a charter, previously to 1748, 
either in the records of the college, or in a history of the institution 
written by Doctor Finley, and published in 1764, the author was led 
seriously to doubt, or rather entirely to disbelieve, that such a char- 
ter had ever an existence. But in a conversation on the subject with 
the late Doctor Boudinot, a few months before his death, he assured 
the writer that such a charter had been granted, and that Mr. Dick- 
inson had acted under it, as president of the college. On an intima- 
tion given in the same conversation that the ancient records of the 
province would probably be found to contain a copy of this charter, 
the author engaged his friend, Charles Ewing, Esq. of Trenton, a 
trustee of the college, to make a thorough investigation. This he 
very kindly did, and the following extract of a letter from that gen- 
tleman will best explain the result. 

" I have to day carefully examined all the ancient books of 
records in the office of the Secretary of State, which are there sup- 
posed, by any possibility, to contain a record of the charter under 
President Hamilton. All I have found is an entry in the following 
words — 

" Mem. of a charter for a col- ^ A charter to incorporate sun- 
ledge, dry persons to found a colledge, 

passed the great seal of this 
province of New- Jersey, tested 
by John Hamilton, Esq. Presi- 
dent of His Majesty's Council 
and commander in Chief of the 
Province of New- Jersey, the 22d 
October, 1746." 

This entry is made in book C. of commissions, charters, &c. page 
137— the same book in which, at page 196, the charter under Gor- 
ernour Belcher is recorded. 

This entry fully establishes the fact that a charter under Presi- 
dent Hamilton was granted. But I am fully satisfied from the 
search I have made, that it is not recorded at length in the books of 
the Secretary's office. Why it was not recorded can be now, per- 



284 NOTES. 

haps, only the subject of conjecture. Recording it, was, I presume, 
not necessary to give it validity ; but only to preserve evidence of 
its existence, in case of loss of the original instrument. The foun- 
ders may have hoped to procure a more liberal charter, therefore 
left that already obtained unrecorded : and they may have accom- 
plished their wishes under Governour Belcher. This conjecture 
finds some support in the passage from Smith's history — " enlarged 
under Governour Belcher." The charter of 1748 was not recorded 
until 4th October, 1750. as appears by the entry in the margin of 
the book where it is recorded.'* 

There is no reason to doubt that the conjecture is well founded, 
which is expressed in the foregoing extract, that the founders of the 
college under the first charter forbore to record this instrument, 
because '* they hoped to procure a more liberal charter." Not only 
from their omitting to record what they obtained, but from their 
studied silence, subsequently, in regard to the whole subject, there 
is every reason to believe that they were much dissatisfied with the 
instrument in question ; that it both contained restrictions which 
they disliked, and omitted to grant privileges which they wished to 
enjoy ; and that after their wishes were gratified, they were willing 
and desirous to consign this first charter to perpetual oblivion. As 
it was granted in less than a year before the accession of Belcher to 
the chair of government in the province, which was then vacant, it 
is highly probable that this accession was with them, at the time, a 
matter of full expectation ; and that from their knowledge of his 
character and views, they hoped to obtain, through his instrumental- 
ity, all that they desired. It was, however, only under this first 
charter that Mr. Dickinson acted as president of the college ; for he 
died October 7th, 1747, within a year after it was granted ; and 
nearly a year before the present charter, dated September 14th, 
1748, was obtained from his Majesty King George II, by the agency 
of Governor Belcher. Willing as the original trustees were that 
the first charter should be forgotten, they always, and properly, 
claimed and registered the Rev. Jonathan Dickinson, as the first 
president of the college. There was probably no individual whose 
influence, so much as his, contributed to bring it into existence. 

It was not the language of flattery, or empty ceremonial, but of 
sincerity and ardent feeling, when the original trustees under the 
present charter of the college, said in their first address to Governor 
Belcher — "We have often adored that wise and gracious Provi- 
dence, which has placed your Excellency in the chief seat of gov- 
ernment in this province, and have taken our part with multitudes 
in congratulating New-Jersey upon that occasion." Na event in 



NOTES. 285 

providence could have more entirely corresponded with the wishes 
and prayers of these excellent men, than the appointment of Gover- 
nor Belcher, at the time it took place. His sentiments and views 
accorded in all respects with their own. He was a man of fervent 
piety, an avowed friend and patron of Mr. Whitefield, an ardent 
lover of learning, and therefore an advocate for a learned as well as 
a pious ministry, a decided whig both in principle and action, and, t» 
erown all, he was as zealously disposed to establish a college in the 
province, as any of those who had so long been labouring to effect it. 
He, also happened to be high in the favour and confidence of the 
reigning family in Britain ; from whom he had early received to- 
kens of particular regard, and recently, as the expression of it, the 
very appointment by which he was constituted governor of the 
province. That a liberal charter for a college would, in these cir- 
cumstances, be speedily obtained, there was no reason to doubt. 
Accordingly it appears that the preparation of such a charter, under 
which the college of New- Jersey now holds its privileges, must have 
been — as in a former note we have seen he states it to have been — 
among the first acts of Belcher's administration. He came into of- 
fice in 1747, and the charter, as already observed, is dated in Sep- 
tember 1748. In the mean time, as it is given in the name of the 
king, and purports throughout to be his immediate act, it must, 
according to the established usage in such cases, have been trans- 
mitted to England, there have been considered and approved by 
the king in council, and afterwards returned to this country. And 
as all this must have taken place in about a year and a half, there 
could have been no delay in preparing the instrument for such a 
process. 

The length of this charter forbids its insertion, entire, in these 
notes. Nor is it necessary — Several editions of it have been print- 
ed, and widely circulated. Copies of it, in a pamphlet form, are 
retained by the college, for gratuitous distribution to all who may 
wish to examine it. Some important extracts from it will sooa 
claim the attention of the reader. 

Thus, then, it appears, agreeably to the intimation already given, 
that the origin of the College of New- Jersey is to be traced to the 
influence of religion. A portion of the clergy and laity of the Pres- 
byterian church, with a leading view to increase the number and the 
literary qualifications of candidates for the gospel ministry, made 
exertions which otherwise would probably never have been made, 
and continued them, notwithstanding many difficulties and discour- 
agements, till they resulted in the establishment of a college, which, 
but for these exertions, there is no probability would then have bee* 



2S6 NOTES. 

founded. The zeal of Governor Belcher appears to have been 
prompted by the very same motives which influenced those to 
whom the charter was granted. But on the supposition that, with- 
out these motives, he might have been disposed to establish a college, 
still the history of the province will show to any one who shall con- 
sult it, that had it not been for the circumstances which have been 
explained, it would scarcely have been possible for him to execute 
his purpose ; — he would have found none to enter with earnestness? 
and activity on the prosecution of such an enterprise. What he did 
in fact, was, with great readiness and pleasure, to give effect to ex- 
ertions which had been making, in the face of much opposition and 
discouragement, for nearly seven years before he came into office. 

The design, as well as the origin, of this institution, is manifest 
from the statement that has been made. It is apparent, not only 
from the motives which so powerfully influenced those who first 
projected the college, and who laboured so long and earnestly to 
establish it, but from the express and repeated declarations of Gov- 
ernor Belcher in his replies to the addresses of the original trustees, 
which may be seen in a former note, that this institution was intend- 
ed, by all the parties concerned in founding it, to be one in which 
religion and learning should be unitedly cultivated, in all time to 
come. This ought never to be forgotten — it ought ever to be sa- 
credly regarded. There is scarcely any thing more unrighteous in 
itself, or more injurious to society, than disregarding and perverting 
the design of the founders of charitable, religious, or literary institu- 
tions. It is doing base injustice to the dead, and at the same time 
presenting a powerful and often an effectual discouragement to those 
among the living, who might, otherwise, make exertions, and be- 
stow their property, to found and endow establishments of the great- 
est publick utility. It is hoped that the guardians of Nassau-Hall 
will forever keep in mind, that the design of its foundation would be 
perverted, if religion should ever be cultivated in it to the neglect of 
science, or science to the neglect of religion — If, on the one hand, it 
should be converted into a religious house, like a Monastery or a 
Theological Seminary, in which religious instruction should claim, 
almost exclusively, the attention of every pupil ; or if, on the other 
hand, it should become an establishment in which science should be 
taught, how perfectly soever, without connecting with it, and con- 
stantly endeavouring to inculcate, the principles and practice of 
genuine piety. Whatever other institutions may exist or arise in. 
our country, in which religion and science may be separated from 
each other by their instructors or governors, this institution, without 
a gross perversion of its original design, can never be ©ne. 



NOTES. S8T 

From the facts and statements now in the view of the reader, it is 
not unknown to the author, that inferences and representations, unfa- 
vourable to the college, have sometimes been made. He determin- 
ed, however, that this should not prevent his giving a fair and full 
account of its origin and design ; that others, who may hereafter 
wish to know them, may not experience the difficulty he has found 
in collecting information — favourably situated as he has been for the 
purpose, and living within eighty years of the remotest period to 
which his inquiries have extended. Accordingly, nothing has been, 
intentionally, either coloured or withheld. He is satisfied, moreo- 
ver, that there is nothing which the friends of the college should de- 
sire to conceal ; but that, on the contrary, it must be advantageous, 
and not injurious to the institution, that the truth should be fully 
known. He is persuaded that it may easily be shown, to the entire 
satisfaction of every candid mind, that the unfavourable inferences 
and representations to which he has alluded, are without any sup- 
port from truth and fact ; the offspring of misapprehension in some 
instances, and of hostility in others. On some of the mistakes and 
misrepresentations contemplated, he will now take the liberty to re- 
mark. 

It has been represented that this college is a sectarian institution ; 
that the peculiar dogmas of the Presbyterian church are inculcated 
in it ; that youth of that denomination are the objects of particular 
regard and favour ; and that there is reason to apprehend that youth 
of other denominations, if sent for education to this institution, may 
be proselyted from the religion of their parents. Now, it is unhesi- 
tatingly affirmed that any apprehensions or representations of this 
description are absolutely groundless. 

Let it be well observed, that although the college was founded by 
the exertions and influence of Presbyterians, it never was intended 
to be an institution in which the pupils of that sect should be more 
favoured than those of any other ; nor has the author heard that any 
specifie example of such partiality has ever been so much as al- 
ledged. And when no specifications are made, it is not practicable, 
and therefore not reasonably expected, that he who makes a defence 
should attempt formally to prove that a general charge is not true ; 
that is, to prove a negative. A charge which is unattended by proof 
or specification, is generally and justly suspected of springing from 
malignity, and not from the love of truth. In such a case, all that 
remains, in making a defence, is distinctly to state and assert the 
truth, with the facts and circumstances which go to establish it ; 
and then to claim the common privilege that innocence shall be pre- 
sumed till criminality shall be proved. 



283 NOTES. 

The author then asserts, that if the Presbyterians have derived 
more benefit from the college than those of other religious denomi- 
nations, it has been solely because they have sent more pupils to it. 
That this was likely to be the case, at least for a time, was known 
when the charter was granted ; and to this alone is there an allusion 
in the page preceding that from which there is a reference to this 
note. Had all the Presbyterians in the province of New-Jersey, or 
in all the British provinces collectively, with Governor Belcher's 
court influence to aid them, petitioned the king in council to grant a 
charter exclusively, or avowedly Presbyterian, there is no reason to 
doubt that their suit would have been rejected with disdain. To be 
fully tolerated, was the utmost that this denomination then expect- 
ed ; and to be allowed an institution of which its members should 
have, in fact, the principal management, but which should be at all 
times as fully open to all other sects as to their own, was considered 
and received as a precious boon. Nor is there the least evidence 
that either Governor Belcher, or the original trustees, indulged a 
wish for more than they obtained. They were men of truly liberal 
minds, and the professed and ardent advocates of equal rights. 
They did not desire any thing exclusive, but only to have a fair op- 
portunity to prosecute their own views, while the same privilege 
should be as fully conceded to others as possessed by themselves. 
This is evident from the tenour of their petition for the charter, as 
recited in the instrument itself, in the following words — " The said 
petitioners have also expressed their earnest desire, that those of 
every religious denomination may have free and equal liberty and 
advantages of education in the said college ; any different sentiments 
in religion notwithstanding." Agreeably to this expression of the 
" earnest desire" of the petitioners, we find it afterwards ordained 
thus — " And we do farther, of our special grace, certain knowledge 
and mere motion, will, give and grant, and by these presents do for 
us, our heirs and successors, will, give and grant, unto the said trus- 
tees of the College of New- Jersey, that they and their successors, 
or the major part of any thirteen of them, which shall convene for 
that purpose above directed, may make, and they are hereby fully 
empowered from time to time, freely and lawfully to make and es- 
tablish such ordinances, orders and laws, as may tend to the good 
and wholesome government of the said college, and all the students 
and the several officers and ministers thereof, and to the publick 
benefit of the same ; not repugnant to the laws and statutes of our 
realm of Great Britain, or of this our province of New-Jersey ; and 
not excluding any person of any religious denomination whatsoever 
from free and equal liberty and advantage of education, ©r from any 



WTES. 2& 

of the liberties, privileges or immunities of the said college, on ac- 
count of his or their being of a religious profession different from the 
said trustees of the said college ; and such ordinances, orders and 
laws, which shall be so as aforesaid made, we do, by these presents, 
for us, our heirs and successors, ratify, allow of and confirm, as good 
and effectual, to oblige and bind all the said students and the several 
officers and ministers of the said college, and we do hereby authorize 
and empower the said trustees of the college, and the president, tu- 
tors and professors by them elected and appointed, to put such ordi- 
nances and laws in execution, to all proper intents and purposes." 

It is confidently believed that this provision of the charter has 
never been violated, either in the spirit or the letter. 

It certainly has been no violation that the majority of the board of 
trustees has always been of the Presbyterian denomination; for of 
that denomination, as far as can now be ascertained, was every indi- 
vidual who was named and appointed in the charter itself. Their 
successors, notwithstanding, have not all been of that denomination. 
At a very early period, a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church, and, shortly after, two members of the Dutch Church, were 
elected to supply the vacancies produced by death or resignation. 
At a later period, the writer himself acted in the board, for a num- 
ber of years in succession, with a distinguished clergyman of the 
Episcopal church, now living ; who eventually resigned his seat, on 
account of the inconvenience to himself, of attending the meetings of 
the corporation. The late excellent and venerated Judge Wallace, 
of the same denomination, was, for more than twenty years, one of 
the most active and influential members of this corporation, and held 
his seat till the time of his death. But will any one affirm that it is, 
in any respect, illiberal, for the denomination that did actually found 
the institution, and from which its principal support has always been 
derived, to retain a majority of its own members in the board of trust ? 
Is it not, on the contrary, highly illiberal and unreasonable ever to 
complain of this ? Is there any other denomination that would, or 
that ought, to do otherwise ? Is not almost every college in our coun- 
try, in fact, under the prevalent influence of some one religious sect ? 
And is not this, on the whole, advantageous, as promoting that unity 
of design and that harmony in conducting the concerns of a literary- 
institution, without which it can never prosper ? 

And as there has been nothing unconstitutional or unfair in the 
choice of trustees, so, it is believed, that the administration under 
them, in regard to the subject of religion, has been equally unexcep- 
tionable. The president of the college, to whom the religious in- 
struction of the youth has always been specially committed, having, 



29a NOTES. 

in all time past, been a Presbyterian Clergyman, the publick wor- 
ship on which the students have attended has, of course, been cele- 
brated according to the order and usages of the Presbyterian church. 
But it is believed that, from the foundation of the college to the pre- 
sent hour, there has not been a discourse delivered that could, with 
any shew of justice, be denominated sectarian. So far as the author 
may be allowed to judge, he can most unreservedly declare that he 
has never heard one. The discourses in this volume afford a fair 
specimen of the doctrine and style of address which have character- 
ized the sermons which he has constantly delivered. Nor has he 
heard any thing that savoured of Presbyterianism, more than will be 
perceived in these discourses, from the professors of the Theological 
Seminary, who, for several years past, have alternated with him, in 
performing the publick service of the sanctuary. 

It ought to be mentioned here, that although the president of the 
college has always been a Presbyterian, the tutors have, in several 
instances, been of other denominations. Two clergymen, now living, 
of great eminence in the Episcopal church, after finishing their aca- 
demical studies in the college, sustained the office of tutor in it, for 
two or three years ; a period as long as that office is usually held by 
any individual. 

In every institution there must be an established course of instruc- 
tion. It is impossible to teach either science or religion without it. 
In forming such a course, for the instruction of the youth of this col- 
lege in the principles and doctrines of religion, the greatest care has 
always been taken to make it, and to keep it, as free as possible from 
sectarian peculiarities. This course is publickly and fully known, 
and if parents think it exceptionable, they must be expected not to 
send their children to the college, or to withdraw them afterwards. 
An objection on this ground has, however, very rarely occurred. 
Two instances only have been known to the writer ; one under the 
administration of his immediate predecessor, and the other under his 
own. In the one case, the parent insisted that his son should have 
nothing taught, or said to him, on the subject of religion; in the oth- 
er, it was made indispensable that the pupil should not study the ev- 
idences of the christian religion. In both cases the pupils were with- 
drawn, and without any objection or censure from the government of 
the college. The course of instruction pursued at present, and for a 
number of years past, is the following : The youth are taught, from 
the treatises of Paley, the principles of Natural religion, and the evi- 
dences of revealed truth ; they commit to memory the catechism, or 
creed, of the church to which their parents belong ; they read and 
recite the Holy Scriptures ; and they attend publick worship on the 



NOTES. 291 

morning of the sabbath, in the prayer hall, or chapel, of the college. 
The recitations on Paley are taken on secular days ; the other exer- 
cises are all performed on the sabbath. The regular devotional ex- 
ercises are, morning and evening prayers, daily ; and the publick 
worship already specified. The days of thanksgiving and of fasting, 
publickly recommended, are also observed. Every thing of a devo- 
tional kind, more than this, is a matter of voluntary choice with eve- 
ry pupil. A publick religious lecture is delivered on every Thursday 
evening, on which such students as are disposed give their attendance ; 
but without any censure, expressed or implied, on those who choose 
to be absent. Different opinions may, no doubt, be formed on what 
is sectarian zeal, and on what is an undue proportion of religious in- 
struction, in a course of liberal education. But the information ne- 
cessary to form a judgment on these points, in regard to what takes 
place in the college of New-Jersey, is fairly furnished in this state- 
ment. 

Before the establishment of a Theological Seminary in the 
neighbourhood of the college, graduates who were preparing for the 
gospel ministry, frequently pursued their theological studies under 
the direction of the president, or of a theological professor ; and 
these theological students were not seldom of different sects. The 
study of Theology, with a view to the ministerial office, is no longer 
pursued in the college, but only in the Seminary. 

From the circumstance, probably, that these two institutions are 
situated within the limits of the same town, it has often been suppo- 
sed, at a distance, that they are only different parts of the same es- 
tablishment. But this is altogether a mistake. The Seminary has 
no necessary connexion with the college of New- Jersey, more than 
with any other college in the United States. The two institutions 
are, in their nature, design and government totally distinct. For the 
sake of mutual convenience and advantage, the trustees of the col- 
lege and the directors of the seminary have entered into several stip- 
ulations with each other ; and the pupils of both institutions, on the 
morning of the sabbath, worship together, in the chapel of the col- 
lege. But there are no stipulations, or other circumstances, which 
would prevent the Seminary being removed to any other place, if 
such a removal should at any time be judged expedient. Consider- 
ing the connexion in which these remarks have been introduced, it 
seems but justice to add, that although the Seminary is professedly 
a Presbyterian institution, the study of theology has been conducted 
in it on such liberal principles, that it has numbered several Episco- 
palians, Baptists and Lutherans, among its pupils. 

In regard to the making of proselytes, the author, who has known 



m NOTES. 

the college intimately for nearly forty years, more than half the pe- 
riod of its existence, does most explicitly affirm that he has never 
known or heard of an attempt to make one ; or that one has actually 
been made. He can recollect but one instance of a student who 
changed the religious denomination of his parents ; and this was at- 
tended with circumstances which, supposing them to have taken 
place, would have produced the change, if he had never seen the 
college. This note will probably meet the eye of a beloved pupil, 
who, on becoming practically pious during his collegiate course, seri- 
ously requested the author to give him advice, in regard to the reli- 
gious denomination with which he should form a connexion. He was 
told that this was a point on which the author had no advice to give ; 
that he was earnestly desirous to see all his pupils christians, in tem- 
per, heart and practice, as well as in name ; but that seeing them 
thus, he must leave it entirely to themselves and their friends, to de- 
cide with what religious communion they would most properly asso- 
ciate. The matter was thus left; and this pupil is now a clergyman, 
of great promise, in the protestant Episcopal church. The author 
is far from wishing to insinuate that this was an act of singular Cath- 
olicism in himself; for he believes that any of his predecessors in 
office would probably have acted — .perhaps may in fact have acted — 
in the same manner. In a word, Jews, Roman Catholicks, Episco- 
palians, Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Friends, members of the 
Dutch Church, and of the Congregational churches of New-England, 
have all, as well as Presbyterians, been educated in the college ; — pu- 
pils of at least five of these denominations now belong to it ; and 
they are fearlessly appealed to, to say whether they have ever 
known of an attempt to make a proselyte ; or whether favour or 
partiality has been shown to any one sect, to the injury or disadvan- 
tage of another. 

It has also been represented that Nassau Hall — to use a phrase 
which the author has heard employed — is a clerical manufactory ; 
an institution in which the great object is to form youth for the 
gospel ministry, and in which the whole system of study and in- 
struction is modified and conducted in subserviency to this object, 
In this representation there is as little truth as in any which has 
already been the subject of remark. That the founders of the col- 
lege were influenced and animated, chiefly, by a desire to increase 
the number and qualifications of the candidates for the gospel minis- 
try, has been distinctly admitted ; and that the institution has, in a 
very high degree, answered the purpose which was so dear to their 
hearts, is held to be its glory and not its shame. To have been 
eminently instrumental in preparing men to preach the gospel wifrfe 



NOTES. 293 

ability and success — to find in the catalogue of its graduates that 
a very large proportion have dedicated themselves to the service of 
God in the gospel of his Son, will never, it is hoped, be otherwise 
viewed by its friends, than as one of its best and most honourable 
distinctions. But it was not the design of its founders, nor did they 
ever attempt, to introduce a system of instruction, which should not 
be adapted as much to the views and advantage of laymen, as of 
those who might devote themselves to the holy ministry; for to form 
a learned and pious laity, as well as clergy, these truly good and 
enlightened men regarded as an object of high importance. The 
system actually adopted and introduced was one which, in their 
judgment, was the best calculated to afford a solid basis, equally, for 
all the liberal professions ; accompanied with such religious and 
moral teaching and discipline, and such only, as were equally proper 
for all youth, whatever might be their prospects or character in future 
life. Nor has there ever been a departure from such a system. Noth- 
ing has ever been taught, in the classes of the college, which a stu- 
dious layman ought not to consider as a proper and profitable attain- 
ment. Some subjects of study, in every academical course, will neces- 
sarily prove more directly useful than others. Nor will this direct 
usefulness be found, by every student, in the same branches of study ; 
but will greatly vary, according to the professional or favourite pur- 
suit to which each may betake himself. To some the knowledge of 
languages, to others mathematical and philosophical attainments, to 
others chemical and mineralogical investigations, to others natural 
history in general, to others civil history, to others moral and meta- 
physical science, to others belles lettres and criticism, will be found 
most immediately demanded, or gratifying, or advantageous. — • 
But a liberal scholar ought to be acquainted with the elements of all 
these kinds of knowledge. It is known that elementary knowledge, 
to such an extent as to qualify a student to be, in a considerable de- 
gree, his own teacher, and to pursue improvement with facility and 
success, is all that an under-graduate can hope to attain, in any of 
our colleges. This elementary knowledge, in the various branches 
of liberal study, it has always been the aim of this institution effect- 
ually to impart ; leaving every pupil to improve and apply it after- 
wards, as his profession, taste or inclination, might demand or direct. 
And if fidelity, or efficiency, in communicating instruction, and ia 
forming enlightened and useful scholars, is to be ascertained by their 
subsequent success and eminence in life, Nassau-Hall need not blusk 
to compare her catalogue with that of any sister institution in our 
country. Perhaps her laymen, in their appropriate pursuits, have 
^een more generally distinguished than her clergymea, In ererv 



294 NOTES. 

liberal profession of a secular kind, lier alumni have stood as 
high in reputation and usefulness, as any of their countrymen ; and 
in every gradation of honourable office and employment, from the 
lowest magistracy to the presidency of the United States, they will 
be found, in full proportion, to have held a place. Is this boasting ? 
It is truth, stated in repelling a false and illiberal allegation. 

But the college has been charged with political as well as with 
religious sectarism. This was a charge brought against the institu- 
tion at an early period. It was made before the American revolu- 
tion, by the devoted partizans of royal power and prerogative, who 
were not friendly to the college, because they considered it as a 
nursery of principles to which they were hostile. And if this was 
a just ground of complaint, they certainly did not make it without 
cause. No party politicks, indeed, were ever professedly inculcat- 
ed, or directly taught, in the institution. The warmest and sincer- 
est sentiments of loyalty to the crown and constitution of England 
were, at all times, expressed, both by the trustees and presidents, 
•and honestly cherished among all the students. But that this 
was an institution in which those which were denominated whig 
firincifiles, were favoured by its guardians and teachers, and would 
therefore probably be imbibed by its pupils, was never denied or 
disguised ; — it was openly avowed and gloried in. Of this, the very 
name which was given to the college was intended to be a publick 
declaration, and a perpetual memorial. The truth then, was, that 
loyalty to the government which existed was not, as had been insin- 
uated, insidiously undermined among the students of this institu- 
tion ; but, on the contrary, it was as truly fostered as it was openly 
professed : And yet, it was unequivocally announced, that this was 
a loyalty which looked to the glorious English revolution under a 
branch of the house of Nassau, in honour of whom the edifice had 
been named, as the standard of its principles and the measure of its 
extent. To this cause it might probably be traced that the Ameri- 
can revolution had no warmer, or more active, or more united 
friends, than the pupils and officers of Nassau-Hall. Its president, 
at that time, has his name enrolled among those illustrious men who 
subscribed the declaration of American Independence : and if it was 
a fact, as possibly it was, that a solitary individual of the sons of this 
college took part against his country in the trying conflict of that 
memorable era, it is certainly a fact which is utterly unknown to the 
writer. 

Since the unhappy division of the citizens of our country into the 
political denominations of Democrats and Federalists, the charge of 
political partiality has been renewed. This, it is believed, has been 



NOTES. 295 

entirely the offspring of that very political zeal which has been 
charged on the institution; — a zeal which, at present, is happily 
much abated, and which, it may be hoped, will soon become extinct. 
Nor has this been a charge which has probably been much credited, 
or in any considerable degree injurious. Such a conjecture is coun- 
tenanced by the fact, that, of each of these political parties, the 
number of students in the college has constantly been in a pretty 
exact proportion to the number which has existed in the country at 
large. It is not believed that any attempt has ever been made to 
induce a student to change his political opinions; or that favours on 
the one hand, or frowns on the other, have ever been experienced, 
on account of such opinions ; or that any restraint, which was not 
equal and impartial, has ever been laid on those who have chosen to 
discuss political topicks in their exercises of publick speaking. When 
the author came into office, he made it distinctly known, that all the 
students would be left at perfect liberty to hold and avow their po- 
litical sentiments ; subject only to this restriction, in all cases, that 
intemperate passion should not be indulged, nor indecorous language 
be used. By the printed statutes of the college, it is required of 
every student, " with a view to preserve the publick exercises 
from impropriety of any kind, to shew to the president the whole of 
what he proposes to speak." In discharging the duty assigned him 
by this statute, the author has seldom had occasion to prohibit what 
has been submitted to him, on account of its violating the rule, or 
restriction, which has been mentioned. Some instances of such pro- 
hibition, however, have occurred ; and as far as can be recollected, 
there have been as many on the one side as on the other. 

The author has now finished his remarks on the mistakes and 
misrepresentations which have been made in regard to the origin, 
design, and administration of the college. He has said much more 
than he otherwise would, if, in making these remarks, he had not 
found it convenient to connect with them such statements as may 
serve to give the reader a just view, not only of the course of study 
pursued in the institution, but of the manner in which the most of its 
interior concerns have been, and still are conducted. The result of 
the whole is, that a system of liberal education, as extensive and 
as perfect as can be found in any sister institution in the United States, 
has been adopted, and now exists in this college; that in carrying this 
system into effect, religious principle and moral conduct have ever been 
regarded and inculcated, as infinitely important in themselves, and 
as the best auxiliaries to diligence in study, and to orderly conduct 
in general ; but that neither in religion nor in politicks have prose- 
lytes ever been made, or pupils suffered any inconvenience, because 

(P2) 



296 NOTES. 

their creeds, or sentiments, did not exactly tally with those of their 
teachers. — Parents who dislike such a system, ought not to send 
their children to Nassau-Hall ; and those who approve it, may be 
assured that here their offspring will feel its influence, so long as its 
guardians and teachers shall continue to carry into effect, as it is 
hoped they always will, the design of its founders. 

It is now proposed to give some account of the state of the insti- 
tution under its first five presidents, and a short biographical notice 
of themselves. 

PRESIDENT DICKINSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 

We have seen that Mr. Dickinson, was president of the college 
only under the first charter. Who were the trustees named in that 
charter, or appointed under it, when or where they met, or at what 
time and in what manner Mr. Dickinson was appointed president, 
cannot now be known, and it is useless to conjecture. It is not im- 
probable that he had long been accustomed to receive youth for in- 
struction in classical literature, and in such other branches of liberal 
study as the times in which he lived, and the circumstances in which 
he was placed, rendered proper and practicable. This is still done 
by many clergymen in our country; and at that time it was chiefly 
in this manner that preparation was, or could be made, in places 
remote from colleges, for entering on the study of any of the liberal 
professions. For this employment, Mr. Dickinson was better quali- 
fied than most of his brethren ; and there is little reason to doubt 
that he had been engaged in it for a considerable time. But however 
this might have been, previously to the granting of a charter for a 
college, it is certain that he was so employed for the short period 
which intervened between the date of the charter and the time of 
his death. It is also certain that his pupils had made very considera- 
ble progress in the course of their education ; for about a year after 
his decease, it appears that six individuals received their Bachelor's 
degree. This was under the present charter, which in the mean 
time had been obtained by Gov. Belcher, but it is probable that the 
whole of these youths had been previously in the training of Mr. 
Dickinson, and that by his instruction they had advanced so far as to 
be within a year of graduation. 

How many pupils, in all, were under his care, at the time of his 
decease, can only be conjectured. From the number graduated, the 
author thinks it probable that the whole number did not excee4 
twenty. Some of them, it is likely, boarded with the president, and 
the others in families near to his dwelling, in Elizabeth-Town. No 
publick buildings had then been erected for their accommodation 



NOTES. £97 

It is presumed that an usher, or tutor, was employed to assist the 
president, but the chief labour of instruction must have fallen upon 
himself — What must have been his activity and industry, when, to 
all his other occupations and engagements, were added the duties of 
a practising physician ? Yet those duties he so performed as to ob- 
tain a considerable medical reputation. 

" Mr. Dickinson was a native of Hatfield, in Massachusetts. His 
descent was from a reputable family. His parents were Hezekiah 
and Abigail Dickinson. The tradition is, according to a communi- 
cation from the Rev. Dr. Lyman, that his mother was left a widow, 
married, and removed to Springfield, with her children; and that 
she educated her sons by the assistance of her second husband's es- 
tate. Her son Moses was a clergyman of high distinction in his day, 
and was the pastor of the congregational church at Norwalk in Con- 
necticut. Jonathan, as" it appears by the town records of Hatfield, 
was born 22d April, 1688. He was one of the brightest luminaries 
of the American churches, at the period in which he lived." \_Mden 9 s 
collection.'] " He was graduated at Yale College in 1706, and with- 
in one or two years afterwards, he was settled minister of the first 
Presbyterian church in Elizabethtown, New- Jersey. Of this church 
he was, for near forty years, the joy and glory. He had a mind 
formed for inquiry ; he possessed a quick preception and an accu- 
rate judgment ; and to a keen penetration he united a disinterested 
attachment to truth. With a natural turn for controversy, he had a 
happy government of his passions, and abhorred the perverse dispu- 
tings, so common to men of corrupt minds. The eagerness of con- 
tention did not extinguish in him the fervors of devotion and brother- 
ly love. By his good works and exemplary life he adorned the doc- 
trines of grace, which he advocated with zeal. He boldly appeared 
in defence of the great truths of our most holy religion, confronting 
what he considered as error, and resisting every attack on the chris- 
tian faith. He wished to promote the interests of practical godli- 
ness, of holy living, and therefore he withstood error in every shape, 
knowing that it poisons the heart, and thus destroys the very prin- 
ciples of virtue. 

His writings possess very considerable merit. They are designed 
to unfold the wonderful method of redemption, and to excite men to 
that cheerful consecration of all their talents to their Maker, to that 
careful avoidance of sin, and practice of godliness, which will exalt 
them to glory. He published the reasonableness of Christianity in 
four sermons, Boston, 1732 ; the true scripture doctrine concerning 
some important points of christian faith, particularly eternal election, 
original sin, grace in conversion, justification by faith, and the saints 

Q2 



298 NOTES. 

perseverance, in five discourses, 1741, in answer to Mr. Whitby ; a 
sermon on the witness of the Spirit, May 1740 ; on the nature and 
necessity of regeneration, with remarks on Dr. Waterland's regene- 
ration stated and explained, 1743, against baptismal regeneration ; a 
display of God's special grace in a familiar dialogue, 1742 ; reflec- 
tions upon Mr. Wetmore's letter in defence of Dr. Waterland's dis- 
course on regeneration, 1745. The above works were handsomely 
published in an octavo volume, at Edinburgh, in 1793. President 
Dickinson, published a defence of Presbyterian ordination, in answer 
to a pamphlet, entitled a modest proof, &c. 1724; the vanity of hu- 
man institutions in the worship of God, a sermon preached at New- 
ark, June 2d, 1736 ; a defence of it afterwards ; a second defence of 
it against the exceptions of Mr. John Beach, in his appeal to the un- 
prejudiced, 1738 ; this work is entitled the reasonableness of non- 
conformity to the church of England, in point of worship ; familiar 
letters upon various important subjects in religion, 1745 ; a pamphlet 
in favour of infant baptism, 1746 ; a vindication of God's sovereign, 
free-grace ; a second vindication, &c. against Mr. John Beach, to 
which are added brief reflections on Dr. Johnson's defence of Aristo- 
cles' letter to Authades, 1748 ; an account of the deliverance of Ro- 
bert Barrow, ship-wrecked among the cannibals of Florida." [Al- 
len's biographical dictionary.'] 

The above quotations contain the best published accounts of pre- 
sident Dickinson, to which the author has had access ; not having 
been able to obtain a copy of the sermon preached at his funeral. 
It is known, however, that the enumeration here given of his printed 
works, is not complete. The author has in his possession an excellent 
discourse, not contained in this enumeration, which is entitled — " A 
sermon preached at the funeral of Mrs. Ruth Pierson, wife of the 
Rev. Mr. John Pierson, minister of the gospel at Woodbridge, in New- 
Jersey — By Jonathan Dickinson — New-York, printed by William 
Bradford, 1733." As president Dickinson, had rendered this tri- 
bute of affection and respect to his friend, Mr. Pierson, so that friend 
was afterwards called to the performance of a similar service, at the 
funeral of Mr. Dickinson himself. Between these two distin- 
guished ministers of the gospel the most unreserved confidence, 
and intercourse, subsisted for many successive years. Their 
congregations, or parishes, joined to each other, and their ministerial 
services were often interchanged. They were nearly of the same 
age, both graduates of Yale College, and both pupils of the Rev. 
Abraham Pierson, the father of John, and the first President, or Rec- 



NOTES. 299 

tor, of that distinguished institution, then in its infancy. John Pier- 
son was a minister of the gospel for 57 years, and died in the 81st 
year of his age, in August, 1770, at the house of his son-in-law, the 
Rev. Jacob Green, of Hanover, Morris county, New-Jersey. His 
remains were deposited in the burial ground of the church in Hano- 
ver, where a monumental stone, with a suitable inscription, is placed 
over his grave. 

The feeling may claim a momentary indulgence which prompts 
the writer to record, that John Pierson, and Jacob Green, the latter 
his father, the former his maternal grand-father, and both of them 
original trustees of the college of New- Jersey, were the particular 
and intimate friends of its two first presidents, Mr. Dickinson and 
Mr. Burr. It was at the house of Mr. Dickinson, that Mr. Jacob 
Green was received with fatherly kindness, when he first came from 
Massachusetts, the place of his birth and education, with Mr. White- 
field, in 1745, about a year after he had received graduation at Har- 
vard college. Under Mr. Dickinson and Mr. Burr, he pursued his 
theological studies, and under their patronage was introduced advan- 
tageously into the gospel ministry. Mr. Dickinson was soon remov- 
ed by death ; but to the counsel and friendship of Mr. Burr, he was 
deeply indebted for a number of years. — The memory of these men 
was, with him, inestimably precious. Through the whole of his life 
he loved to dwell upon their virtues, and to hold them up as exam- 
ples to others. He died in May, 1790, in the 69th year of his age, 
and his dust mingles with that of Mr. Pierson. 

The original trustees of Nassau-Hall, cherished for this child of 
their prayers and their hopes a most ardent attachment; and from 
conversations which passed under the paternal roof in his early 
years, and which were deeply impressed on his memory, the author 
has been enabled to furnish a part of the information, relative to the 
college, which is contained in these notes ; and from the same source 
some additional items will be supplied. 

President Dickinson left three daughters ; one of whom was mar- 
ried to Mr. Jonathan Sergeant, of Princeton ; one to a Mr. John Coop- 
er, of whose residence the writer has not been informed ; and the 
other to the Rev. Caleb Smith, pastor of the congregation of Newark 
mountains, a place which has since, by a vote of the inhabitants, 
changed its name for that of Orange. This Mr. Smith was early a 
trustee of the college, a man of talents and learning, and of distin- 
guished piety. He died in the vigour of life, greatly beloved and 
lamented. 



300 NOTES. 

On the monumental stone which covers the remains of the venera- 
ble man whose memoir we are now closing, is the following inscrip- 
tion- 
Here 
Lies the body of the Rev'd 
Mr. Jonathan Dickinson, Pastor 
of the first Presbyterian church 
In Elizabeth-town ; who died October 
The 7th, 1747 ; setatis suae 60 — 

Deep was the wound, Oh death, and vastly wide, 
When he resigned his useful breath and died. 
Ye sacred tribes, with pious sorrows mourn, 
And drop a tear at your great pastor's urn ! 
Concealed a moment from our longing eyes, 
Beneath this stone his mortal body lies ; 
Happy the spirit lives, and will, we trust, 
In bliss associate with his precious 'dust. 

PRESIDENT RURR's ADMINISTRATION— 

From 1747 to 1757. 

The pupils who had been the charge of Mr. Dickinson, at Eliza- 
beth-town, were, after his death, removed to Newark, distant about 
six miles, and placed under the care of Mr. Burr. He, therefore, 
was considered as the successor of Mr. Dickinson, in the presidency 
of the college, even under the first charter. Whether there was 
any formal appointment to that effect, is unknown. But it appears 
that he had the superintendance and instruction of the youth who 
had been collected as the beginning of a college, for about a year, 
before the charter was obtained under which they received gradua- 
tion. It will be seen, by the following extracts from the minutes of 
the trustees, that a class was in readiness to receive their Bachelor's 
degree, within a month from the time that Belcher's charter took 
effect ; and that under that charter the degrees were conferred by Mr. 
Burr, on the very day on which he was elected president. Every 
thing therefore must have been previously prepared and arranged 
with a view to this event. 

The first meeting of the new corporation, as was shown in a for- 
mer note, was at New-Brunswick, October 13, 1748 — At that meet- 
ing nothing farther was done than formally to accept the charter, to 
present an address of thanks to the Governor, to receive his reply, 
and to pass a vote for another meeting, to be held at Newark, in the 
beginning of the following month. Of this meeting the whole record 



NOTES. SOI 

will be given, except the part which contains a transcript of the laws 
for the government of the college, which were then enacted. No 
better statement can be made, than is made by the record itself, of 
the facts which it exhibits, and of the measures which were adopted 
by the founders of the college, for promoting the interests of their 
infant institution. The record is as follows — 

'* On Wednesday, November 9th, the trustees met according to 
appointment at Newark — , 

PRESENT 
His Excellency Governor Belcher, Esq. 

James Hude, "^ John Pierson, 

Thomas Leonard, )>Esq'rs. Joseph Lamb, 

William Smith, J Aaron Burr, 

Richard Treat, 
Peter V. B. Li\ ingston, "^ Samuel Blair, I Ministers of 



William P. Smith, ^>Gent. William Tennent, f the gospel. 

Samuel Hazard, J David Cowell, 

Tim. Jones, 
Jacob Green, 
Thomas Arthur, 

The following gentlemen* were qualified, according to the direc- 
tions of the charter, viz — Governor Belcher, William Smith, Peter 
V. B. Livingston, Samuel Hazard, Samuel Blair, Jacob Green. 

The Rev. Mr. Lamb opened the sessions with prayer. 

The clerk certified to the board of trustees that he had duly noti- 
fied every member of the corporation, of the time and place of meet- 
ing ; and then took the oath the charter requires. 

Agreed, that the method of choosing all officers in the college be by- 
balloting. 

The Rev. Mr. Aaron Burr, was unanimously chosen to be the pre- 
sident of the college : the vote of the trustees being made known to 
Mr. Burr, he was pleased modestly to accept the same, and took the 
oath required by the charter. 

Agreed, that the commencement for graduating the candidates, 
that had been examined and approved for that purpose, go on this 
day. 

It was accordingly opened this forenoon by the president with 
prayer, and publicly reading of the charter in the meeting-house. 

Adjourned till two o'clock in the afternoon. 

In the afternoon, the president delivered a handsome and elegant 
Latin Oration. And after the customary scholastic disputations, the 

* These members had not been present at the first meeting. 



502 NOTES. 

following gentlemen were admitted to the degree of bachelor of arts r 
viz: Enos Ayres, Israel Read, Benjamin Chesnut, Richard Stockton, 
Hugh Henry, Daniel Thane. 

After which his Excellency the Governor was pleased to accept 
of a degree of Master of Arts : this was succeeded by a salutatory 
oration, pronounced by Mr. Thane, and the whole concluded with 
prayer by the president. 

Met this evening — A set of laws were laid before the trustees for 
their approbation ; and after a second and third reading, and some 
alterations and amendments, they were unanimously received ; and 
ordered to be inserted with the minutes, as the laws of the college of 
New-Jersey. 

Voted, that the anniversary commencement, for the future, be 
held on the last Wednesday of September, and that the next com- 
mencement be held at New-Brunswick. 

Voted, that the Honorable Andrew Johnston, Esq. be desired to 
accept the office of treasurer to the corporation. 

Voted, that the seal prepared by Mr. P. Smith, be accepted as the 
common seal of the corporation, and that the thanks of the corpora- 
tion be returned to Mr. Smith, for his care in devising the same : 

And that he be desired to get two seals engraven, of the same de- 
vice, for the use of the corporation; and that the trustees be an- 
swerable for the expense thereof. 

Voted, that all diplomas and certificates of degrees be signed by 
the President, and at least six of the Trustees. 

Voted, that William Smith, Esq. be appointed to draw up an ac- 
count of the proceedings of the commencement, and insert it in the 
New- York Gazette, as soon as he conveniently can : 

That Messrs. Pierson, Cowel, Jones, Arthur, be appointed to make 
application to the General Assembly of this province, now sitting at 
Perth-Amboy, in order to get their countenance and assistance for 
the support of the college. 

Voted, that the following gentlemen be desired to take in subscrip- 
tions for the college, viz : 

Messrs. Kinsev, 7 .di-i t i i • Thos. Leonard, 7 r> • * 

tt •,' > at Philadelphia. , , c . , »« 5- Princeton. 

Hazard, 5 John Stockton, Esq. 3 

P. VanBrugh Livingston, 7 t^t v L James Hude, Esq. Sc Thos. Ar- 

P, Smith, S thur, at Brunswick. 

Read & Smith, at Burlington. Henderson 6c Furman, Freehold. 

Read & Cowel], at Trenton. John Pierson, Woodbridge. 

John Stevens, Amboy. Major Johnson, at Newark. 

Sam. Woodruff, Eliz. Town. 

That all the trustees shall use their utmost endeavours to obtain 
Benefactions to the said college : and that this vote go into the New- 



NOTES. 303 

York and Philadelphia Gazettes. That this meeting be adjourned 
to the third Thursday in May next, to be held at Maidenhead. 

Mr. Tennent concluded with prayer." 

It may be proper to follow these authentick records, with an ex- 
tract from " an account of the college of New-Jersey," already allu- 
ded to, " published by order of the trustees," under the direction of 
Dr. Finley, then president, in 1764 — " to which regard is to be paid, 
as to the narrative of one who writes what he knows, and what is 
known likewise to multitudes besides."* 

It must be understood, however, that the account, given in this 
extract, of the interior of the college edifice, is not applicable to it at 
present. All the ornaments of the prayer-hall, or chapel, called in 
this extract "the Hall," as well as the organ which it contained, 
were destroyed by the British and American soldiery, in the war of 
the revolution. And when the structure suffered by the fire of 1802, 
nothing was left but the naked stone walls. On its being rebuilt, al- 
though the walls, which were not materially injured by the fire, re- 
mained as before, the whole interior of the house, except the chapel, 
was converted into lodging rooms — the library, refectory and other 
publick apartments, being provided for, as heretofore stated, in ad- 
ditional buildings. Yet it belongs to the history of the institution to 
make known what were the original arrangements, when eveiy pro- 
vision for the accommodation and instruction of the students was to 
be made in a single structure ; and a record of these arrangements 
will probably be read with peculiar pleasure, by those alumni of the 
college, who can remember, and who delight to think of " the 
first house." The changes which have since taken place, and 
which have not been already noted, will be mentioned in their pro- 
per place. The account from which the extract is to be given, be- 
gins with stating the necessity which had long been felt for a college 
nearer at hand than any that had as yet been founded ; it then re- 
cites a part of the charter, and afterwards proceeds as follows — 

" Thus were the trustees possessed of a naked charter, without 
any fund at all to accomplish the undertaking. This, in the eyes of 
some, gave it the appearance of an idle chimerical project. Their 
only resource, indeed, under the smiles of Heaven, was the benefi- 
cence of the advocates and friends of learning. After various solici- 
tations in America, the contributions, tho' often generous and worthy 
of grateful acknowledgment, were found by no means adequate to 
the execution of so extensive a design. Therefore, in the year 1753, 
two gentlemen were sent as agents to Great Britain, and Ireland, 

* Johnson's life of Watts. 



304 NOTES. 

to solicit additional benefactions. There the institution was honour- 
ed, beyond the most sanguine expectations, with the approbation 
and liberality of several political and ecclesiastical bodies ; and of 
many private persons of the nobility and gentry, among the laity and 
clergy of various denominations. 

The students, in the mean time, who, in the beginning, were few 
in number, lived dispersed in private lodgings, in the town of New- 
ark ; at which place the college was first opened ; the public aca- 
demical exercises being generally performed in the county court- 
house. The difficulties and danger of these circumstances, both 
with regard to the morals and literary improvement of the youth, 
could scarcely have been encountered so long, had it not been for 
the indefatigable industry and vigilance of Mr. President Burr, 
the first who officiated in that station. And it was much owing to 
his unremitted zeal and activity, that this college so suddenly rose 
to such a flourishing condition. 

The trustees, thus generously assisted, immediately set about 
erecting a building, in which the students might be boarded as well 
as taught ; and live always under the inspection of the college offi- 
cers, more sequestered from the various temptations, attending a 
promiscuous converse with the world, that theatre of folly and dissi- 
pation. The little village of Princeton was fixed upon, as the most 
convenient situation ; being near the centre of the colony, on the 
public road between New- York and Philadelphia, and not inferior 
in the salubrity of its air, to any village upon the continent. 

The edifice being nearly finished, and considered as sacred to lib- 
erty and revolution principles, was denominated Nassau-Hall, 
from that great deliverer of Britain, and assertor of protestant lib- 
erty, K. William the III. prince of Orange and Nassau. It will 
accommodate about 147 students, computing three to a chamber. 
These are 20 feet square, having two large closets, with a window 
in each, for retirement. It has also an elegant hall, of genteel work- 
manship, being a square of near 40 feet, with a neatly finished front 
gallery. Here is a small, though exceeding good organ, which was 
obtained by a voluntary subscription : opposite to which and of the 
same height, is erected a stage, for the use of the students, in their 
public exhibitions. It is also ornamented, on one side, with a portrait 
of his late majesty, at full length ; and, on the other with a like pic- 
ture, (and above it the family arms neatly carved and gilt,) of his Ex- 
cellency Governor Belcher. These were bequeathed by the latter 
to this college. The library, which is on the second floor, is a spacious 
room, furnished at present with about 1200 volumes, all which have 
been the gifts of the patrons and friends of the institution, both in 



NOTES. 305 

Euro fie and America. There is, on the lower story, a commodious 
dining hall, large enough to accommodate as many as the house will 
contain, together with a large kitchen, steward's apartments, &c. 
The whole structure, which is of durable stone, having a neat cupola 
on its top, makes a handsome appearance ; and is esteemed to be 
the most conveniently planned for the purposes of a college, of any 
in North America ; being designed and executed by that approved 
architect, Mr. Robert Smith, of Philadelphia. 

In the year 1757, the students, to about the number of 70, remov- 
ed from Newark, the house being then so far completed, as to be 
ready for their reception. Experience soon taught the society, the 
superior convenience of their new circumstances. The numbers 
increased very fast. The country became more and more convinced 
of the importance of learning, in general, and the utility of such a 
seat of education in particular ; both from the regularity of its ad- 
ministration, and the figure which several of its sons already made, 
in the various literary professions. But it was not long before it suf- 
fered, what was then looked upon, as an almost irretrievable loss. 
For this same year died, universally deplored, Mr. President 
Burr. Few men were possessed, in an equal degree, of such an as- 
semblage of superior talents. He seemed to be peculiarly formed 
for that important sphere of action, which was assigned him in the 
latter part of his life. But the reader may see the lineaments of his 
character drawn, in striking colours, by a masterly hand, in a fune- 
ral eulogium, published soon after his decease. The same year 
died also his Excellency Governor Belcher, who continued, to the 
last, a zealous patron of religion and learning. His library consist- 
ing of 474 volumes, together with several other useful and ornamen- 
tal articles, he left to this college, of which he was himself the 
founder." 

From what has now been stated, and from what will most proper- 
ly appear in the biographical sketch of President Burr, the general 
state of the institution during his administration, may be seen. A 
cursory mention will be made of a few particular circumstances 
which may deserve a brief notice. 

The number of pupils under the care of Mr. Burr, appears to have 
increased gradually and regularly, till it reached, as we have seen, 
70, at the time of the removal from Newark to Princeton. 

In conducting the instruction of the students the labour of teach- 
ing, at this time, fell principally on the president. He sometimes 
had but one tutor to assist him, and never more than two, while the 
college remained at Newark. He also had the charge of a gram- 
mar school, during the whole time he was in office, in which pupfls 

R2 



306 NOTES. 

were prepared for the classes of the college. This was considered 
as a personal concern of the president, by whom the teachers in the 
school were employed. At the time of his death, the trustees took 
the grammar school under their care, as a part of the general estab- 
lishment. 

The conferring of degrees, or the publick commencements of the 
college, during the presidency of Mr. Burr, took place at Newark, 
with but one exception. The second commencement was held at 
New-Brunswick, before the permanent site of the institution was 
located, and when it was most probable that it would be fixed in that 
town — Perhaps it was intended, by this measure, to increase the 
zeal of the inhabitants to contribute liberally towards its endowment. 
After the commencement of 1756, the board of trustees, on the 29th 
of September, " voted that the president move the college to Prince- 
ton this fall ; and that the expense thereof be paid by the treasurer." 
Yet Dr. Finley's account states that the removal was in 1757. It is 
believed that Di\ Finley probably spoke of what might be called 
a collegiate year — reckoning from one commencement to another : 
The college records are silent as to the precise time of the actual 
removal. The writer believes it was made in the time of vacation, 
succeeding the commencement of 1756; and that the college was open- 
ed at Princeton, in the month of November of that year — president 
Burr, having, in the mean time, removed to that place with his fam- 
ily. Be this as it might, he did not live to preside at the commence- 
ment of 1757 — He died two days before it took place. The degrees 
of that year, were, by the appointment of the board, conferred by 
"the Hon. William Smith, Esq ;" and it was ordered that "the 
two eldest ministers, being trustees, should begin and conclude with 
prayer." 

The largest donation recorded as having been made to the college, 
in this country, during the period under review, was by the Hon. 
James Alexander, afterwards Earl of Stirling — He gave £50 proc : 

The college had also the benefit of a lottery which was drawn in 
Philadelphia. — "The General Court of the Colony of Connecticut" 
likewise granted to the trustees, who petitioned to that effect, the 
privilege of drawing a lottery, within that colony. Whether the 
lottery was actually made and drawn does not appear on the min- 
utes of the board ; although it is recorded that an address of thanks, 
to the General Court that had acted thus generously, was voted by 
the trustees. 

Petitions of the most urgent kind were addressed to the legislature 
of the province of New-Jersey, in behalf of the college. But even a 
petition for a lottery was " absolutely rejected." Whatever was the 



NOTES. 307 

influence of Gov. Belcher, or the popularity of president Burr, their 
united exertions could never prevail on the legislature of the pro- 
vince in which the college was founded, whose name it bore, and of 
which it was the greatest ornament, to show it patronage or favour 
of any kind. It is as grievous to the writer to record this want of 
liberality in a legislature of his native state, as it can be to any other 
inhabitant to read the record. But historical fidelity requires that 
the fact should not be suppressed. All the state patronage which 
the college has ever received shall, in its proper place, be faithfully 
stated. The writer has only to regret that the statement will so ea- 
sily be made. 

The funds from which the expense of erecting the college edifice 
was defrayed, were provided, as the trustees in their first address to 
Gov. Belcher explicitly state, by the benefactions obtained in Great 
Britain through the agency of the Rev. Gilbert Tennent, of Phila- 
delphia, and the Rev. Samuel Davies, of Virginia, who went thither, 
for this purpose, in 1/53 ; and returned in the following year. But 
the amount of these benefactions the author regrets that he has not 
been able to ascertain. The General Assembly of the church of 
Scotland, were addressed on this occasion ; and after the return of 
Messrs Tennent and Davies, a letter of thanks was transmitted t© 
the Assembly, for the aid which they had afforded in obtaining con- 
tributions. 

The following sketch of the life and character of president Burr, 
has been taken almost wholly from Allen's Biographical Dictionary, 
whose author refers to publications, to the most of which the present 
writer has had no access. The sketch however has been so much 
modified, to prevent repetition, to supply some defects, and to render 
the dates correct, that it seemed more proper to make this general 
acknowledgment, than to give it as a quotation. It is very deficient, 
after all, in the arrangement of the parts. In forming it, a funeral 
sermon preached by the Rev. Caleb Smith, by the appointment of 
the trustees, and printed at their expense, was probably quoted ; as 
well as the eulogium of Mr. Livingston, mentioned by Dr. Finley. 
In such compositions praise is often undeservedly or immoderately 
bestowed. In the present instance, however, if a little allowance be 
made for the feelings of friendship, and the excitement of unfeigned 
grief, it is believed that no ground will be left for the charge of ex- 
travagance. No clergyman in the state of New- Jersey, was proba- 
bly ever more beloved, respected and influential, than president 
Burr. To the church of which he was a minister, and to the college 
of which he was the president, the loss and the regret which his 
death occasioned, cannot now be easily estimated. But in no service 



SOS NOTES. 

probably, had it been left to his choice, would he more willingly have 
resigned his life, than in that which is believed to have hastened its 
termination. All accounts agree that the disease of which he died 
was greatly aggravated, if not entirely produced, by the exertions 
which he made, in a state of exhaustion and debility, to prepare and 
preach the funeral sermon of Governor Belcher. These eminent 
men and endeared friends expired within a month of each other : 
the Governor on the 31st of August, the President on the 24th of 
September, 1757. The shock which the college felt by the fall of 
these two pillars, on which it had seemed principally to lean, was 
feared at the time to threaten it with lasting injury, if not with entire 
prostration. But its establishment was more deeply and firmly fixed 
than was then perceptible ; and the God of providence, amidst all 
the succeeding gloom, watched over and sustained the work, on 
which for ten successive years, its uninterrupted smiles had rested. 

Aaron Burr, the second president of New- Jersey college, was 
a native of Fairfield, in Connecticut, and was born in the year 1716. 
His ancestors, for a number of generations, had lived in that colony, 
and were persons of great respectability. He descended, it is believ- 
ed, from the Rev. Jonathan Burr, of Dorchester. He was gradua- 
ted at Yale College in 1735. In 1738, he was invited to take the pas- 
toral charge of the Presbyterian church, at Newark, in New-Jersey, 
and was ordained as its pastor. Here he became so eminent, as an 
able and learned divine, and an accomplished scholar, that in 1748, 
he was unanimously elected president of the college, as successor to 
Mr. Dickinson. In 1754, he accompanied Mr. Whitefield to Boston, 
having a high esteem for the character of that eloquent itinerant 
preacher, and greatly rejoicing in the success of his labours. After 
a life of usefulness and honor, devoted to his Master in heaven, he 
was called into the eternal world, in the midst of his days, being in 
the forty-second year of his age. 

President Burr was a person of a slender and a delicate make, yet 
to encounter fatigue he had a heart of steel. To amazing talents for 
the despatch of business he joined a constancy of mind, that common- 
ly secured to him success. As long as an enterprise appeared possi- 
ble, he yielded to no discouragement. The flourishing state of the 
college of New-Jersey, was much owing to his great and assiduous 
exertion. When his services were requested by the trustees of the 
college in soliciting donations for the purchase, of a library and philo- 
sophical apparatus, and for erecting a building for the accommoda- 
tion of the students, he engaged with his usual zeal in the undertak- 
ing, and every where met with the encouragement, which the design 
8©* fully deserved. Until the autumn of 1755, he discharged the du- 



NOTES. 309 

ties both of president and pastor of a church. At that time his pas- 
toral relation to his people was dissolved ; and he devoted himself 
wholly to the service of the college. 

Few men were more perfect in the art of rendering themselves 
agreeable in company. He knew the avenues to the human heart, and 
he possessed the rare power of pleasing, without betraying a design 
to please. As he was free from ostentation and parade, no one would 
have suspected his learning, unless his subject required him to dis- 
play it, and then every one was surprised that a person so well ac- 
quainted with books, should yet possess such ease in conversation, 
and such freedom of behaviour. He inspired all around him with 
cheerfulness. His arms were open to good men of every denomina- 
tion. A sweetness of temper, obliging courtesy and mildness of man- 
ners, joined to an engaging candor of sentiment, spread a glory over 
his reputation, and endeared his person to all his acquaintance. 
Though steady to his own principles, he was free from all bigotry. 

In the pulpit he shone with superior lustre. He was fluent, copi- 
ous, sublime, and persuasive. Having a clear and harmonious voice, 
which was capable of expressing the various passions, and taking a 
deep interest in his subjects, he could not fail to reach the heart. His 
invention was exhaustless, and his elocution was equal to his ideas. 
He was not one of those preachers, who soothe their hearers with 
a delusive hope of safety, who substitute morality in the place of ho- 
liness, and yield the important doctrines of the gospel, through the 
fear of displeasing the more reputable sinners. He insisted upon the 
great and universal duty of repentance, as all were guilty and con- 
demned by the divine law. He never wished to administer consola- 
tion, till the heart was renewed and consecrated unto God. When 
he saw the soul humbled, he then dwelt upon the riches of redeem- 
ing mercy, and expatiated upon the glories of Him, who was God 
manifest in the flesh. It was his endeavour to alarm the thought- 
less, to fix upon the conscience a sense of sin, to revive the disconso- 
late, to animate the penitent, to reclaim the relapsing, to confirm 
the irresolute, and to establish the faithful. He wished to restore to 
man the beautiful image of God, disfigured by the apostacy. His 
life and example were a comment on his sermons ; and by his en- 
gaging deportment he rendered the amiable character of a christian 
still more attractive and lovely. 

He was distinguished for his public spirit. Amidst his other cares 
he studied, and planned, and toiled for the good of his country. He 
had a high sense of English liberty, and detested despotic power 
as the bane of human happiness. He considered the heresy of Arius 
as not more fatal to the purity of the gospel, than the positions ol 



510 NOTES. 

Filmcr were to the dignity of man and the repose of states. But 
though he had much of that patriotic spirit, which is ornamental 
even to a christian minister, he very cautiously intermeddled with 
any matters of a political nature; being aware of the invidious con- 
structions, which are commonly put upon the most unexceptionable 
attempts, made by men of his profession to promote the public wel- 
fare. He was a correspondent of the Scotch society for propagating 
the gospel ; and he thought no labor too great in the prosecution of an 
enterprise, which promised to illuminate the gloomy wilderness with 
the beams of evangelical truth. 

He presided over the college with dignity and reputation. He had 
the most engaging method of instruction, and a singular talent in 
communicating his sentiments. While he stripped learning of its 
mysteries, and presented the most intricate subjects in the clearest 
light, and thus enriched hjis pupils with the treasures of learning, he 
wished also to implant in their minds the seeds of virtue and religion. 
He took indefatigable pains in regard to their religious instruction, 
and with zeal, solicitude, and parental affection, pressed upon them 
the care of their souls.; and with melting tenderness urged the im- 
portance of their becoming the true disciples of the holy Jesus. In 
some instances his pious exertions were attended with success. In 
the government of the college he exhibited the greatest impartiality 
and wisdom. Though in judgment and temper inclined to mild mea- 
sures, when these failed, he would resort to a necessary severity ; 
and no connexions could prevent the equal distributions of justice. 
In no college were the students more narrowly inspected and pru- 
dently guarded, or vice of every kind more effectually searched out, 
and discountenanced or suppressed. He secured with the same ease 
the obedience and love of his pupils. 

The year after he took his first degree he resided at New-Haven, 
and this was the period, when his mind was first enlightened with 
the knoAvledge of the way of salvation. In his private papers he 
wrote as follows : " this year God saw fit to open my eyes, and shew 
me what a miserable creature I was. Till then I had spent my life 
in a dream ; and, as to the great design of my being, had lived in 
vain. Though before I had been under frequent convictions, and 
was driven to a form of religion, yet I knew nothing as I ought to 
know. But then I was brought to the footstool of sovereign grace ; 
saw myself polluted by nature and practice ; had affecting views of 
the divine wrath I deserved ; was made to despair of help in myself, 
and almost concluded that my day of grace was past. It pleased 
God, at length, to reveal his Son to me in the gospel, as an all suffi- 
cient and willing Saviour, and I hope inclined me to receive him on 



NOTES. 311 

the terms of the gospel. I received some consolation, and found a 
great change in myself. Before this I was strongly attached to the 
Arminian scheme ; but then I was made to see those things in a dif- 
ferent light, and seemingly felt the truth of the Calvinian doctrines." 
He was unfluctuating in principles, and ardent in devotion, raising 
his heart continually to the Father of mercies in adoration and 
praise. He kept his eye fixed upon the high destiny of man, and 
lived a spiritual life. The efficacy of his religious principles was 
evinced by his benevolence and charity. From the grace of God he 
received a liberal and generous disposition, and from his bounty the 
power of gratifying the desire of doing good. 

At the approach of death that gospel, which he had preached to 
others, and which discloses a crucified Redeemer, gave him support. 
He was patient and resigned, and was cheered with the liveliest 
hope. The king of terrors was disarmed of his sting. 

Mr. Burr married in 1752, a daughter of Jonathan Edwards, his 
successor in the presidency of the college. She died in 1758, the 
year after the death of her husband, in the twenty-seventh year of 
her age ; leaving two children, one of whom was Aaron Burr, late 
Vice-President of the United States, and the other a daughter, who 
was married to Judge Reeve, of Connecticut. She died a number of 
years ago. Mrs. Burr was in every respect an ornament to her sex, 
being equally distinguished for the suavity of her manners, her lite- 
erary accomplishments, and her unfeigned regard to religion. She 
combined a lively imagination, a penetrating mind, and a correct 
judgment. When only seven or eight years of age, she was brought 
to a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, and her conduct through 
life was becoming the gospel. Her religion did not cast a gloom 
over her mind, but made her cheerful and happy, and rendered the 
thought of death transporting. She left a number of manuscripts 
on interesting subjects, and it was hoped they would have been made 
public ; but they are now lost. 

Mr. Burr published a valuable treatise, which displays his tal- 
ents in controversial theology, entitled, The Supreme Deity of 
our Lord Jesus Christy maintained in a letter to the editor of 
Mr. Emlyn's inquiry, re-printed at Boston in 1791. He publish- 
ed, also, A fast sermon on account of the encroachments of the 
French, and their designs against the British Colonies in America ; 
delivered at Newark, January 1, 1755. The Watchman's answer to 
the question, " What of the night ?" a sermon before the Synod of 
New-York, convened at Newark, September 30, 1756. A funeral 
sermon at the interment of Governor Belcher, September 4, 1757. 



312 NOTES. 

On a marble monumental stone, placed over the grave of Presi- 
dent Burr, in the burial ground at Princeton, by the order and at the 
expense of the corporation of the college, is the following inscrip- 
tion — : 

M. S. 

Reverendi admodum Viri, 

Aaronis Burr, a. m. Collegii Keo-Cseaariensis Prxsidis' 

Natus apud Fairfield, Connecticutensium IV Januarii, 

A. D. MDCCXVI. S. V. 

Honesta in eadem Colonia Familia oriundus, 

Collegio Yalensi innutritus, 

Novavcae Sacris initiatus, MDCCXXXVIII. 

Annos circiter viginti pastoral! Munere 

Fideliter functus. 

Collegii J\T. C. Presidium MDCCXLVIII accepit. 

In JVassovice Aulam sub Finem MDCCLVI translatus. 

Defunctus in hoc Vico XXIV Sefitembris, 

a. d. MDCCLVII. S. jY. 

iEtatis XLII. Eheu quam brevis ! 

Huic Marmori subjicitur, qood mori potuit ; 

Quod immortale, vendicarunt Coeli. 

Quseris Viator qualis quantusque fuit ? 

Perpaucis accipe. 

Vir corpore parvo ac tenui, 

Studiis, Vigiliis, assiduisque Laboribus, 

Macro. 

Sagacitate, Perspicacitate, Agilitate, 

Ac Solertia, (si fas dicere) 

Plusquam humana, pene 

Angelica. 

Anima ferme totus. 

Omnigena Literatura instructus, 

Theologia prrestantior : 

Concionator volubilis, suavis et suadus: 

Orator facundus. 

Moribus facilis, candidus et jucundus, 

Vita egregie liberalis ac beneficus : 

Supra vero omnia emicuerunt 

Pietas ac Benevolentia. 

Sed ah ! quanta et quota Ingenii, 

Industrie, Prudentias, Patientiac, 

Csetcrarumque omnium Virtutum 

Exemplaria, 



NOTES. 513 

Marmoris sepulchralis Angustia 

Reticebit. 

Multum desideratus, multum, 

Dilectus, 

Humani generis Delicias. 

O ! infandum sui Desiderium, 

Gemit Ecclesia, plorat 

Academia : 

At Coslum plaudit, dum ille 

Ingreditur 

In Gaudium Domini 

Dulce loquentis, 

Euge bone et fidelis 

Serve ! 

Abi Viator tuam respice finem. 

PRESIDENT EDWARDS' ADMINISTRATION— 1758. 

The meeting of the board of trustees, which took place, as we have 
seen, two days after the death of President Burr, was not adjourned 
until a choice had been made of his successor. 

The record of this transaction is as follows — " A choice of a Pres- 
ident of the college being proposed to the board, it was ordered to be 
put to vote, whether the said President be now chosen or not ; which 
being voted accordingly, was carried in the affirmative. Whereupon 
— after prayer, particularly on this occasion, and the number of the 
trustees present being twenty — the Rev. Mr. ^Jonathan Edwards, of 
Stockbridge, was chosen by a majority of seventeen : And this board 
requests that Messrs. Livingston and Spencer, of their number, would 
draw the draught of a letter, requesting that the said Mr. Edwards 
would accept of the said choice : and also of an address to the Hon- 
ourable the Commissioners for propagating the gospel among the 
heathen in America, in the province of the Massachusetts, request- 
ing that the said Commissioners would liberate the said Mr. Ed- 
wards from his pastoral charge of the Indian Congregation of 
Stockbridge, and the mission given him by the said Commissioners ; 
and that the said letter and address be signed in behalf of this board,, 
by the Clerk of the same. 

It is ordered by the trustees, that twenty pounds be paid to the 
Rev. Mr. Edwards, for the expenses of removing his family to 
Princeton. 

The committee appointed to draw the draught of a letter to the 
Rev. Mr. Edwards, and an address to the Commissioners in the 
Massachusetts, brought in the said draught; which being read were 

S 2 



314 NOTES. 

approved of, and the Clerk is ordered to transcribe the same, and 
send them, as soon as may be, to the persons for whom they are 
designed." 

It appears by a vote of the trustees, at a subsequent meeting, that 
they awarded " the sum of eleven pounds to be paid to the Rev. 
William Tennent, for his services in inspecting the government of 
the college." This inspection, therefore, appears to have been con- 
fided to that gentleman, during the period which elapsed between 
the death of Mr. Burr and the next meeting of the board ; although 
there is no record of his appointment for that purpose. The instruc- 
tion of the college, while destitute of a stated president, was almost 
wholly committed to the tutors ; of whom there were three, and of 
these, John Ewing, afterwards the Rev. Dr. Ewing, for many years 
the distinguished Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, was the 
first in rank and in efficiency. He was graduated under Mr. Burr, 
had been for sometime in the tutorship, and had already given pro- 
mise of that eminence in science and influence, to which he soon after- 
ward rose. 

Having taken the necessary measures for the instruction and gov- 
ernment of the institution till they should meet again, the trustees 
adjourned, on the 27th of September. 

The next meeting was " on Wednesday the 14th day of Decem- 
ber, 1757." 

The following extracts from the minutes of this meeting, will ex- 
plain the measures which were then taken to secure the services of 
Mr. Edwards. 

" The trustees considering the contents of the last letter received 
from the Rev. Mr. Edwards, particularly relating to his dismission 
from his present pastoral charge, do vote, that it is highly proper 
that one of their members do endeavour, if possible, to attend the 
ecclesiastical council who are to convene for that purpose, and rep- 
resent, in behalf of this board, the reasons for the propriety of such 
a dismission. Voted, that if the Rev. Mr. Edwards come and take 
upon him the charge of the college this winter, that he be entitled to 
the president's salary for the whole of this year : and that he have 
the liberty of receiving one half of his salary, at the end of six 
months from the last commencement. 

The Rev. Messrs. Caleb Smith and John Brainard, are requested 
immediately to proceed upon a journey to Stockbridge, if possible to 
attend the ecclesiastical council, to convene relating to Mr. Edwards' 
dismission. And that the sum of twenty pounds be paid them 
for their services. 



NOTES. 315 

Voted, that the Rev. Mr. David Cowell be president of this col- 
lege, until the next meeting of the trustees : And the choice of the 
said Mr. Cowell being made known to him, he was pleased to accept 
of the same, and was qualified as the charter directs. 

Voted, that the president of the college, and the clerk for the time 
being, be a committee to transact the affair about Mr. Edwards's 
removal: and if there be necessity, that they may convene any 
three, or a lesser number, of members to assist them. 

Voted, that president Cowell pix)vide, as soon as possible, an Usher 
for the grammar school." 

The next meeting of the'board was " on Thursday the 16th day of 
February, A. D. 1758," when it was " Ordered, that the Rev. David 
Cowell be paid the sum of eleven pounds, for his services in inspect- 
ing the government of the college." 

The following records relate to Mr, Edwards, and the general 
concerns of the institution — 

" The Rev. Mr. Jonathan Edwards, at the repeated requests and 
invitation of this board, and agreeable to a vote passed at a meeting 
of the trustees in September last, attending, and having been pleas- 
ed to accept the office of President of this college, so unanimously 
voted him, was qualified as the charter directs : and the said Pres- 
ident Edwards was at the same time qualified as a trustee of the 
college, and took his seat accordingly. 

Voted, that the law obliging the students to wear particular habits 
be repealed. 

Voted, that if a new Governor be appointed and come into the 
Province before the next trustee meeting, that President Edwards 
and the Clerk be empowered to address the Governor, in the name 
of the trustees. 

Voted, that President Edwards have the direction, care and gov- 
ernment of the Grammar school, with its masters and ushers, and 
have authority to introduce the elements of Geography, History, and 
Chronology, if he judges proper ; and that he have the profits of 
said school. 

Voted, that Mr. Cowell and the Clerk be empowered to agree 
Avith a number of men to be managers of a lottery, to be drawn for 
the college, upon an island in Delaware river ; to raise a sum not 
exceeding £600, besides the charges of management. The price of 
the tickets to be two dollars. The managers not to be paid any thing 
for managing, till the lottery be drawn, except the printing of the 
tickets. 

Voted, that the treasurer pay for printing Governor Belcher's 
funeral sermon ; and it is desired that Mr. Caleb Smith take care ©f 



316 NOTES. 

the sale of the said sermons, and return to the treasurer the money 
that arises from the said sale. 

Voted, that there be a trustee meeting for the future at every 
commencement ; and that the clerk notify the absent members of 
this vote." — Before the passing of this last vote, although it was in- 
dispensable that all degrees should be conferred by a vote of the 
board, it was not considered as either indispensable or expedient 
that the board should always meet at the very time at which the de- 
grees were conferred. This, however, has since been the uniform 
practice. 

As dates and facts are best ascertained and authenticated by con- 
temporaneous records, the author has determined to give them, as 
much as possible, from the minutes of the beard of trustees, and in 
the very language of those minutes. In giving subsequently a con- 
nected view of these dates and facts, it may not be easy, or practi- 
cable, to avoid some repetition ; but this, it is believed, should be 
regarded as far more pardonable than the want of accuracy in the 
substance of the statement. 

The college derived reputation from the election of Mr. Edwards 
as its president, and from his acceptance of the office, and his en- 
trance on his duties as head of the institution. But his adminis- 
tration was too short to permit him to do it much service, by his 
instructions, or by his counsel. He did not act as president for a longer 
space than about two months ; and was not inaugurated till about 
five weeks before, his death. On the pressing solicitation of the trus- 
tees he left Stockbridge and came to Princeton in the month of Jan- 
uary, 1758. His arrival at the college must have been in the latter 
part of that month. He was innoculated for the Small Pox on the 
13th of February following, three days before the meeting of the 
beard at which he was formally invested with his office : and he 
died on the 22d of March. Of the short time that he spent at the 
college, the larger part was passed under the influence of the disease 
which terminated his life. The records say nothing of the manner 
in wh : .rh his time was employed; but an account which was publish- 
ed not long after his decease, and which there is no reason to doubt 
is authentiek, gives some information on this subject, which will be 
found in the subjoined memoir. 

The reputation of President Edwards, as an author and a divine, 
lias long been high in Europe, as well as in America. It w r as to be 
expected that the life of such a man would be written at large, and 
by more than a single hand. Such has been the fact. In giving a 
biographical sketch, which the limits of these notes requires to be 
brief, the difficulty is not to find materials, but to condense and ar- 



NOTES. 317 

range them properly. In furnishing memoirs of the deceased pres- 
idents of the college, the author has never had an intention of doing 
much more than to republish the best accounts he could find already 
written ; with such corrections, or additions, as his personal knowl- 
edge might enable him to make. In pursuing this plan with refer- 
ence to President Edwards, he has drawn from several sources — 
from an account of his life and writings, printed in Scotland, in 1764 ; 
from a similar account prefixed to the late edition of his works 
printed in this country ; and from Allen's biographical dictionary. 
In using these materials, although he has written but little, he has 
made such modifications of the statements of others as were necessa- 
ry to adapt them to his purpose. His own sentiments, in contem- 
plating the life and labours of President Edwards, are those of pro- 
found and affectionate veneration ; so much so, that he knows not 
that he has ever read or heard of a man, of whom he has been dis- 
posed to say with more truth and ardour, than of Mr. Edwards — I 
would wish to be such a man. He was certainly the possessor of a 
mighty mind. As such, his reputation has been steadily advancing 
ever since his death; till at length the British writers, notwithstand- 
ing their tardiness in duly accrediting American genius and talents, 
have classed him among the great masters of reasoning. But the 
highest excellence of his character was, that his great powers of 
mind were deeply sanctified, and unreservedly consecrated to the glo- 
ry of God and the good of mankind. He was, in the estimation of the 
writer, one of the most holy, humble and heavenly minded men, 
that the world has seen, since the apostolick age. His learning was 
not various. Having early devoted himself, in the most unreserved 
manner, to the service of God in the gospel ministry, his studies al- 
ways had a reference, either direct or collateral, to Theology. But 
thus employed, such a mind as his could not fail to acquire science 
and erudition, to a considerable extent ; while, in its favourite pur- 
suits, eminence of the first distinction would certainly be reached. 
In knowledge of the sacred scriptures, and in every thing relating to 
Theology, he had few equals — In reasoning on theological subjects 
he had, in the day in which he lived, no superior. By saying this, 
the writer does not mean to subscribe to every conclusion in Theol- 
ogy, at which this great man arrived ; any more than in expressing 
his admiration of the powers of Mr. Locke, he would be understood 
to adopt all that is said in the " Essay concerning human understand- 
ing," Mr. Edwards' manner or style of writing, has no claims to 
elegance. His language is not select ; he is utterly regardless of 
any thing like harmony in the structure of his periods ; and he takes 
little care to avoid a frequent repetition of the same words and phrs.- 



513 NOTES. 

ses. His whole attention is given to his thoughts. But in conveying 
these he is wonderfully successful. His meaning is clearly commu- 
nicated, and carefully guarded. And in his practical writings, he is 
often both powerful and pathetick. Is not such a writer, all other 
considerations notwithstanding, really eloquent ? That calm, and 
close, and patient thinking, of which his works give such abundant 
proof, would seem to indicate a temperament not easily excited. 
Yet the fact was otherwise. His resolutions and diary show that he 
was a man of great sensibility, and of ardent affections. When 
those whom he consulted on the propriety of his accepting the pres- 
idency of the college unanimously advised his acceptance, he burst 
into tears in their presence ; and it appears that he frequently re- 
tired to his study, to conceal from others, the emotions which he 
felt. 



The Rev. Jonathan Edwards was born on the 5th of October, 
1703, at Windsor, in the then Province of Connecticut. His father, 
the Rev. Timothy Edwards, was minister of that place, almost sixty 
years, and resided there from November, 1694, till January, 1758, 
when he died, in the 89th year of his age, not two months before 
this his only son. He had ten daughters, four of whom were older, 
and six younger, than the subject of this memoir. 

Mr. Edwards entered Yale College, when about twelve years of 
age ; and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in September, 
1720, a little before he was seventeen. While at college his charac- 
ter was marked with sobriety and improvement in learning. In the 
second year of his collegiate course, he read Locke on the Human 
Understanding, with much delight. His uncommon genius, by 
which he was naturally formed for close thought and deep penetra- 
tion, now began to discover and exert itself. From his own 
account, he was inexpressibly entertained and pleased with that 
book when he read it at college ; more so than the most greedy 
miser, when gathering up handfuls of silver and gold from some 
newly discovered treasure. Though he made good proficiency in 
all the arts and sciences, and had an uncommon taste for Natural 
Philosophy, (which he cultivated to the end of his life) yet Moral 
Philosophy, including Divinity, was his favourite subject, in which 
he made great progress in early life. 

He lived at college nearly two years after he took his first degree, 
preparing for the work of the ministry. After which, having pas- 
sed the usual trials, he was licensed to preach the gospel as a can- 



NOTES. 319 

didate. In consequence of an application from a number of ministers 
in New-England, who were intrusted to act in behalf of the English 
Presbyterians in New-York, he went to that city in the beginning 
of August, 1722, and preached there with great acceptance, about 
eight months. But on account of the smallness of that society, and 
some special difficulties that attended it, he did not think there was 
a rational prospect of answering the good end proposed, by his set- 
tling there as their minister. He therefore left them the next 
spring, and retired to his father's house, where he spent the sum- 
mer in close study. He was earnestly solicited by the people to 
return again to New-York ; but his former views were not altered, 
and therefore, however disposed to gratify them, he could^ not com- 
ply with their wishes. 

In September 1723, he received his degree of Master of Arts. 
About this time several congregations invited him to become their 
minister ; but being chosen tutor of Yale College, he determined to 
continue in that retirement, and attended the business of tuition there 
above two years. During his tutorship he was applied to by the 
people of Northampton, who had some powerful motives to offer, in 
favour of his exercising his ministry there, and especially that his 
maternal grandfather, Stoddard, then their pastor, by reason of his 
great age, stood in need of assistance. He therefore resigned his 
tutorship in September 1726, and accepted their invitation, and was 
ordained as colleague with his grandfather, February 15, 1727, hi 
the twenty-fourth year of his age. He continued at Northampton 
twenty-three years and four months. His ministerial labours in this 
place, in 1734 and 1735, were attended with very uncommon suc- 
cess ; a general impression was made upon the minds of his people 
by the truths which he proclaimed, and the church was much en- 
larged. At a subsequent period, also, in the years 1740 and 1741, 
there was a remarkable revival of religion, in which Northampton, 
in common with many other places, partook largely. For many 
years, Mr. Edwards was very happy in the love and esteem of his 
people, and there was, during that period, the greatest prospect of 
his living and dying so. Indeed he was almost the last minister in 
all New-England, that would have been thought likely to be oppos- 
ed by his people. But the event demonstrated how uncertain is the 
continuance of popular esteem and favour ; even when nothing is 
done that ought to diminish, but every thing to increase and perpet- 
uate them. Mr. Edwards was dismissed from his people in 1750, at 
their own request, and with every indication of their alienation and 
resentment. 

The circumstances which led to this dismission were the following : 



320 NOTES. 

Mr. Edwards being informed of certain immoralities, in which- 
some young persons, who were connected with the church, indulged 
themselves, thought that an inquiry should be made into their con- 
duct. The church readily acknowledged the importance of strict 
discipline, and entered into the plan ; but when the names of the 
persons accused were knoAvn, and it was found, that members of 
the principal families in the town were implicated, it was impossible 
to proceed. There were few in his church, who continued their 
zeal for discipline, when they perceived, that it would enter their 
own houses ; and the hands of the immoral were strengthened by 
this defeat of an attempt to correct their errors and to bring them 
to repentance. After this event, which took place in 1744, Mr. 
Edwards' usefulness in Northampton was almost destroyed. A se- 
cret dislike was excited in the minds of many, and it was soon blown 
into a flame. When he was settled in this town, he was not perfect- 
ly convinced of the correctness of the principle, which was support- 
ed by his colleague, the Rev. Mr. Stoddard, that unconverted per- 
sons had a right, in the sight of God, to the sacrament of the Lord's 
supper. After diligent inquiry he was convinced, that the principle! 
was erroneous and dangerous. His investigations led him to believe 
that the sacramental supper was instituted for the true disciples of 
Jesus Christ ; that none but such could have a right to it ; and that 
none but those, who were considered as such, should be permitted 
to partake of it. Adopting these sentiments, he had the courage to 
avow them. He considered it as an inviolable duty ever to vindi- 
cate the truth. He knew the zeal of his people for their loose prin- 
ciples, and expected to see that zeal bursting upon him, if he should 
dare to stand forward in opposition to their long continued practice. 
He anticipated a dismission from Northampton, and a deprivation of 
the means of support. But in the full view of these consequences, 
he openly avowed his change of sentiment, cheerfully sacrificing 
every worldly interest to promote the purity of the church and the 
glory of the Redeemer. The evils, which he anticipated, came 
upon him. He was driven away in disgrace from a people, who 
once would almost have " plucked out their eyes, and given them 
to him." They would not even hear him in his vindication. Mr. 
Edwards had been instrumental in cheering many hearts with the 
joys of religion, and not a few had regarded him with all that affec- 
tionate attachment, which is excited by the love of excellence and 
the sense of obligations, which can never be repaid. But a spirit 
of detraction had gone forth, and a few leading men, of outrageous 
zeal, pushed forward men of less determined hostility ; and in the 
hopeless prospect of conciliation he was dismissed by an ecclesiasti- 



NOTES, S£l 

cal council June 22, 1750. In this scene of trouble and abuse, while 
the mistakes and the bigotry of the multitude had stopped their 
ears, and their passions raged without controul, Mr. Edwards exhib- 
ited a truly christian spirit. His calmness and meekness and humil- 
ity, and yet firmness and resolution^ were the subjects of admiration 
to his friends. More anxious for his people than for himself, he 
preached a most solemn and affecting farewell discourse. He af- 
terwards occasionally supplied the pulpit, at times when no preacher 
had been procured ; but this proof of his superiority to resentment 
or pride, and this readiness to do good to those who had injured him, 
met with no return, except a vote of the inhabitants, prohibiting him 
from ever again preaching for them. Still he was not left without 
a number of excellent friends in Northampton, who steadfastly ad- 
hered to him through all his trials ; and his correspondents in Scot- 
land, having been informed of his dismission, contributed a consider- 
able sum for the maintenance of his family. 

At this time, the Indian mission at Stockbridge, a town in the 
western part of Massachusetts' Bay, fifty miles from Northampton, 
being vacant, the Commissioners for Indian affairs in Boston, who 
had the care and direction of the mission, applied to Mr. Edwards, 
as the most suitable person they could think of to be entrusted with 
it. He was invited, at the same time, by the inhabitants of Stock- 
bridge, to preach the gospel and perform ministerial duties among 
them ; and being advised by a council to accept of the invitation, he 
repaired to Stockbridge, and was introduced and fixed as missiona- 
ry to the Indians there, by an ecclesiastical council, called for that 
purpose, August 8th, 1751. 

When he first engaged in this mission there was a hopeful pros- 
pect of its being extensively serviceable, not only to the tribe of In- 
dians which was settled at Stockbridge, but among the Six Nations ; 
some of whom were coming to Stockbridge to settle, bringing their 
own, and as many of their neighbour's children as they could get, to 
be educated and instructed there. But although Mr. Edwards per- 
formed the business of his mission to the good acceptance of the in- 
habitants of Stockbridge, both English and Indians, and of the com- 
missioners, who supported him honourably, and confided very much 
in his judgment and wisdom, yet his labours in this place were atten- 
ded with no remarkable success. Stockbridge, however, proved to 
Mr. Edwards a more quiet, and on many accounts a much more 
comfortable situation, than he was in before. Here he followed his 
beloved studies more closely, and to better purpose than ever. In the 
six years, during which he remained in this place, it is believed 
that he made greater advances in knowledge than ever before, and 

T2 



322 NOTES. 

added more to his manuscripts than in any equal space of time. 
Probably, indeed, this was as useful a part of his life as any ; for in 
this place he wrote his treatise •* On the Will," as well as that on 
" Original Sin ;" so that when in his own judgment, as well as that 
of others, his usefulness seemed to be cut off, he found greater op- 
portunities of service than ever. 

The well merited celebrity which he obtained by his publications, 
particularly that on the Will, had, doubtless, no small influence, 
among other considerations, to induce the trustees of the college of 
New- Jersey to look to him as the most suitable successor to his son 
in-law, Mr. Burr, in the presidency of the institution. Yet such was 
his humility that he looked on himself, in many respects, so unqual- 
ified for the business, that he wondered that gentlemen of such 
good judgment, and so well acquainted with him, as he knew some of 
the trustees were, should think of him for that place. He addressed 
a letter to the board, in which he laboured to satisfy them that their 
choice had not been properly made. An extract from this letter 
has been published ; and no one can read it without a conviction 
that Mr. Edwards was as much distinguished by genuine lowliness 
of mind, as by any other quality. He thought it right, however, to 
submit to the decision of some judicious friends, the matter of his du- 
ty in this interesting concern. And on their advising him to accept 
the presidency, although he received the decision with much emo- 
tion, he consented to be released from his charge at Stockbridge ; 
girded up his loins, and set off for Princeton, in January. He left 
his family at Stockbridge, not to be removed till spring. He had 
two daughters at Princeton, Mrs. Burr, and his eldest daughter that 
was unmarried. His arrival was to the great joy and satisfaction of 
the college. 

While at Princeton, before his sickness, he preached in the col- 
lege chapel several sabbaths, to the great acceptance of the hear- 
ers ; but did nothing in the way of instruction, unless it was to give 
out some questions in divinity to the senior class, to be answered 
before him ; each one having opportunity to study and write what 
he thought proper upon them. When they came together to an- 
swer these question, they found so much entertainment and profit 
by the exercise, especially by the light and instruction Mr. Edwards 
communicated, after they had delivered what they had to say, that 
they spoke of it with the greatest satisfaction and wonder. 

The Small Pox was at this time prevalent in the vicinity of 
Princeton, and likely to spread. Mr. Edwards had never had it, 
and by the advice of his friends and physicians, he was innoculated. 
lie appeared to have it favourably, and it was thought the danger 



NOTES. 52S 

was over. But a secondary fever set in, and by reason of a number 
of pustules in his throat, the obstruction was such that the medicines 
necessary to check the fever could not be administered. It there- 
fore raged, till it put an end to his life, on the 22d of March, 1758, 
in the fifty-fifth year of his age. 

After he was sensible he could not survive his sickness, a little 
before his death, he called to him his daughter, and addressed her 
in a few words which were immediately taken down in writing, as 
nearly as could be recollected ; they were as follows — " Dear Lucy, 
it seems to me to be the will of God that I must shortly leave you ; 
therefore give my kindest love to my dear wife, and tell her that 
the uncommon union which has so long subsisted between us, has 
been of such a nature as I trust is spiritual, and therefore will con- 
tinue forever : And I hope she will be supported under so great a 
trial, and submit cheerfully to the will of God. And as to my chil- 
dren, you are now like to be left fatherless, which I hope will be an 
inducement to you all to seek a Father who will never fail you. And 
as to my funeral, I would have it to be like Mr. Burr's ; and any 
additional sum of money that might be expected to be laid out in 
that way, I would have it disposed of to charitable uses."* 

He said but very little in his sickness, but was an admirable in- 
stance of patience and resignation to the last. Just at the close of 
life, as some persons who stood by, expecting he would breathe his 
last in a few minutes, were lamenting his death, not only as a great 
frown on the college, but as having a dark aspect on the interests of 
religion in general ; to their surprise, not imagining he heard, or 
ever would speak another word, he said, " Trust in God, and ye 
need not fear." These were his last words. What could have been 
more suitable to the occasion ! And what need of more ! 

He appeared to have the uninterrupted use of his reason to the 
last, and died with perfect calmness and composure. The physi- 
cian who innoculated and constantly attended him in his sickness, 

wrote to Mrs. Edwards, on occasion of his death, as follows 

4 ' Never did any mortal man more fully and clearly evidence the 
sincerity of all his professions, by one continued, universal, calm, 
cheerful resignation and patient submission to the divine will, 
through every stage of his disease, than he. Not so much as one 
discontented expression, nor the least appearance of murmuring 



* Mr. Burr ordered, on his death-bed, that his funeral should not be attended 
with pomp and cost ; but that the sum which would have been requisite for a 
modish funeral, beyond a decent one, should be given to the poor, out of his 
estate. 



V 



324 NOTES. 

through the whole ! And never did any person expire with more 
perfect freedom from pain ; not so much as one distortion ; but in 
the most proper sense of the words he really fell asleep." 

The following is a list of the publications of President Edwards ; 
with the dates at which the several publications were made. 

1731 A Sermon preached at Boston, on 1 Cor. 1. 29, 30. 

1734 do. at Northampton, on Matth. 16. — 17. 

1736 A Narrative of the work of God, &c. 

1738 Five Discourses, at Northampton. 

1741 A Sermon preached at Enfield. 

1741 do. at New-Haven, on 1 John 4. 1. 

1741 do. at Hatfield. 

1742 Thoughts on the Revival. 

1746 Religious Affections. 

1747 On Prayer for a Revival. 
1749 Ordination Sermon. 

1749 Life of the Rev. David Brainerd. 

1749 On Qualifications for Communion. 

1752 A Reply to S. Williams' Answer. 

1752 A Sermon preached at Newark, on James 2. 19. 

1754 On the Freedom of the Will. 

1758 On Original Sin. 

[This last was in the press when the author died. All his 
other works were collected from his papers after his de- 
cease ; the principal of which were published in the follow- 
ing order] r— 

1765 Eighteen Sermons, with his life prefixed, 

1774 The History of Redemption. 

1788 On the Nature of Virtue. 

1788 God's Last End in the Creation, 

1788 Thirty ^three Sermons, 

1789 Twenty Sermons. 

1793 Miscellaneous Observations. 

1796 Miscellaneous Remarks. 

Mrs. Sarah Edwards, the amiable consort of President Edwards, 
did not long survive him. In September she set out from Stock- 
bridge in good health, on a journey to Philadelphia, to take care of 
her two orphan grand-children, who were now in that city ; as 
they had been since the death of Mrs. Burr. Having no relations in 
those parts, Mrs. Edwards proposed to take them into her own 
family- She arrived at Philadelphia, by the way of Princeton, 
September 21, in good health, having had a comfortable journey. 
But in a few days she was seized with a violent dysentery, which,. 



NOTES. 325 

on the fifth day, put an end to her life, October 2d, 1758, in the 
49th year of her age. She said not much in her sickness ; being 
exercised most of the time with violent pain. On the morning of the 
day she died, she apprehended her death was near, when she ex- 
pressed her entire resignation to God, and desire that God might 
be glorified in all things ; and that she might be enabled to glori- 
fy him to the last : and continued in such a temper, calm and resign- 
ed till she died. 

Her remains were carried to Princeton, and deposited with those 
of Mr. Edwards. Thus they who were in their lives remarkably 
lovely and pleasant, in their death were not much divided. Here 
are the father and mother, the son and daughter, laid together in 
the grave, within the space of a little more than a year, though a 
few months before their dwellings were more than 150 miles apart. 
Two presidents of the same college, and their consorts, than whom 
it would be hard to find four persons more valuable and useful, in 
a few months are cut off from the earth forever ; and by a remarka- 
ble providence are put, as it were, into one grave ! Mrs. Edwards 
was born in New-Haven, in Connecticut, January 9th,' 1709. — 
Her father was the Rev. Mr. James Pierpont, who was long an em- 
inent, godly and useful minister of the Gospel, at New-Haven, She 
was married to Mr. Edwards, July 20, 1727, in the eighteenth year 
of her age. She had eleven children, of whom three sons and five 
daughters, survived both their parents. Mrs. Burr died after her 
father, but before her mother's death. 

At the expense of the trustees of the college, a marble monument 
has been erected in honour of all the Presidents, since Mr. Dickin- 
son. The following is the inscription on the stone which covers the 
remains of President Edwards. — 

M. S. 

Reverendi admodum Viri, 

Jonathan Edwards, A. M. 

Collegii Novae Cassareas Praesidis. 

Natus apud Windsor Connecticutensium V. Octobris. 

A. D. MDCCIII, S. V. 

Patre Reverendo Timotheo Edwards oriundus, 

Collegio Yalensi educatus; 

Apud Northampton Sacris initiatus, XV Februarii, 

MDCCXXVI— VII. 

Illinc dimissus XXII Junii, MDCCL, 

Et Munus Barbaros instituendi accepit. 

Prases Amlse Nassavic-ae creatus XVI Februarii, 



S26 NOTES. 

MDCCLVIII. 

Defunctus in hoc Vico XXII Martii sequentis, S. N. 
iEtatis LV, heu nimis brevis ! 

Hie jacet mortalis Pars. 

Qualis Persona qu&ris Viator ? 

Vir Corpore procero, sed gracili, 

Studiis intensissimis, Abstinentia, et Sedulitate, 

Attenuate 

Ingenii Acumine, Judicio acri, et Prudentia, 

Secundus Nemini Mortalium. 

Artium liberalium et Scientiarum Peritia insignis, 

Criticorum sacrorum optimus, Theologus eximius, 

Ut vix alter xqualis ; Disputator candidus ; 

Fidei Christians Propugnator validus et invictus; 

Concionator gravis, serius, discriminans ; 

Et, Deo favente, Successu 

Felicissimus. 

Pietate prasclarus, Moribus suis severus, 

Ast aliis xquus et benignus, 

Vixit dilectus, veneratus — 

Sed ah ! lugendus 

Moriebatur, 

Quantos Gemitus discedens ciebat ! 

Hen Sapientia tanta ! heu Doctrina et Religio ! 

Amissum plorat Collegium, plorat et Ecclesia : 

At, eo recepto, gaudet 

Coelurm 

Abi Viator, et pia sequere Vestigia. 

The interval between the death of President Edwards and the 
accession of President Davics — From March 22d, 1758, to July 26th 
1759. 

The trustees met within a month, after the death of President 
Edwards, on " Wednesday, the 19th day of April, A. D. 1758." 
The following extracts from their records, will show the measures 
which they adopted in consequence of that mournful event. 

M It having pleased God to remove by death, the late Rev. Mr. 
Edwards, President of the college, a few weeks after he had taken 
upon him the charge of the college ; It is ordered, that the treasu- 
rer pay unto the executors of the said Mr. Edwards, the sum of one 
hundred pounds, being the one half of his salary for one year, which 
he had a right to receive at the end of six months after the last 
commencement ; the said six months being unexpired notwithstand- 
ing. 



NOTES. $27 

The Presidentship of the college, having become vacant by the 
death of the late President Edwards ; the trustees, after prayers 
particularly on this account being made, and having taken deliber- 
ate consideration of the matter, do elect the Rev. Mr. James Lock- 
wood of Wethersficld, in the Colony of Connecticut, to be the Pres- 
ident of this college ; and the Clerk is ordered to write a letter unto 
the said Mr. Lockwood, informing him of the said election, and re- 
questing his acceptance : and Mr. Spencer, one of the members of 
this corporation, is desired to wait on the said Mr. Lockwood, and 
deliver him the said letter — It is ordered that the expenses, attend- 
ing the moving of Mr. Lockwood's family to this place, be paid by 
the treasurer. 

It is ordered, that Messrs. William P. Smith, Woodruff, Pierson, 
Johnes, Green, Caleb Smith and Brainerd, or any four of them, be a 
committee to transact the affair of Mr. Lockwood's removal. 

The Rev. Mr. Caleb Smith, is appointed President of this college 
until the next trustee meeting ; and the said appointment being 
made known to the said Mr. Smith, he was pleased to accept the 
same, and was qualified as the charter directs. 

2d day 7 o'clock — The trustees met according to adjournment. 

The Rev. Samuel Finley is appointed to take upon himself the 
charge of the college, and act as President thereof until the 22d day 
of May next, and the said Mr. Finley was qualified as the charter 
directs." This appears a singular appointment, after Mr. Smith, 
the preceeding day, had been appointed President " till the next 
Trustee meeting." No reason is assigned on the record, but it is 
probable that Mr. Smith could not attend at the college till the 22d 
of May ; and that Mr. Finley was therefore appointed to serve till 
that time. 

The next meeting of the board was " On Wednesday the 16th 
day of August, A. D. 1758," when the following proceedings took 
place. 

" His Excellency Francis Bernard, Esq. Governor of this Prov- 
ince, having been pleased to attend the present meeting of the trus- 
tees, was qualified as the charter directs, and took his seat, as Pres- 
ident, accordingly. 

The definitive answer of the Rev. Mr. Lockwood of Wethersfield t 
the President elect of this college, was read ; by which it fully ap- 
pears that the said Mr. Lockwood has refused accepting the Presi- 
dentship, agreeably to the choice of this board r Whereupon after 
mature deliberation, the board proceeded to the election of a Presi- 
dent of the college, when the Rev. Mr. SAMUEL DAVIES of Vir- 
ginia, was duly elected : On which the Clerk is ordered, as soon as 



328 NOTES. 

possible, to communicate notice of the said election to the said Mr. 
Davies, and desire his acceptance thereof, and request his answer 
as soon as may be, and if it suits his conveniency his attendance at 
the commencement : and the treasurer is hereby ordered to pay the 
expenses of removing Mr. Davies' family to this place. 

The Rev. Mr. Smith is desired, and is hereby empowered, to pre- 
side in the college till the next commencement : and then to give 
the degrees to the candidates : and in case of his absence the Rev. 
Mr. Cowell, or Cummings, is hereby empowered to transact the 
said affair. 

2d day, 8 o'clock, the trustees met according to adjournment. 
It is ordered that Messrs. Caleb Smith, David Cowell, and Rich- 
ard Stockton, or any two of them, be a committee to manage the 
affair of Mr. Davies' removal hither : . and also to send to England 
for what books they may think necessary for the use of the college 
and Grammar school, not exceeding £40 sterling : and also to settle 
with Mr. Robert Smith, and the Executor of Mr. Burr, the matter 
relating to the surplus of the expense of the President's house, over 
and above £600, for which the said house was to have been built : 
and also to conclude about finishing the President's house and the 
college. 

It is ordered that the pew rents in the Hall, for the last year, be 
immediately paid unto the steward of the college, and on failure of 
compliance of any person, that such person forfeit his pew" — At 
this time there was no church, or house of publick worship, in 
Princeton. The chapel of the college, here called " the Hall," was 
used for the purpose, by the inhabitants of the town, as well as by 
the students ; and the President of the college was always the stat- 
ed preacher and pastor — The pews, it appears, were rented to the 
inhabitants ; and the above order was made to compel delinquent 
pew holders, to pay up their arrears. 

" The Rev. Mr. Finley, is hereby authorized and desired to amend 
and prepare for the press the Newark Grammar, with all expedi- 
tion possible, and transmit the same to the President of the college 
for the time being." — The " Newark Grammar" here mentioned, 
was a Latin grammar compiled, as the author has been informed, 
by President Burr, when the college was under his care at Newark. 
It was for many years the grammar most approved, and most in 
use, in the grammar school and college. 

" It is ordered that the Rev. Mr. Finley be paid the sum of Ten 
pounds, and the Rev. Mr. Smith the sum of Forty pounds, for the 
time that they inspected the government of the college ; the said 
; Mr. Smith's services being included. 



NOTES. 329 

The committee appointed at the last meeting to inspect the fund 
for poor scholars in the treasurer's hands, made report, that there 
is now in the treasurer's hands the sum of £500 proc : the interest 
to be computed from October next ; which sum the trustees agree 
to be accountable for, to the Synod of New- York and Philadelphia : 
the common expenses and casualties to which their own fund is lia- 
ble, excepted " — The fund here mentioned was formed by donations 
obtained in England and Scotland by Messrs. Tennent and Davies, 
for the education of poor and pious youth for the gospel ministry. 
It was loaned to the college, and was originally under the guardian- 
ship of the Synod of New- York, but was now transferred to the Sy- 
nod of New-York and Philadelphia. The unhappy breach in the 
Presbyterian Church, of which an account has been given in a for- 
mer part of this note, and which produced the rival Synods of 
New-York and Philadelphia, was healed in 1757, a little more than 
a year before this record was made. Both Synods were now formed 
into one body, which it was agreed should be known by the appella- 
tion of the Synod of New- York and Philadelphia ; and from which 
originated the present General Assembly of the Presbyterian 
Church in the United States of America. The fund here referred 
to, was almost annihilated by the depreciation of paper money,during 
the revolutionary war. The interest, arising on the remnant of it, 
is now disposed of annually, for the benefit of some student in the 
college, by a committee of the General Assembly and a committee 
of the trustees. 

The next meeting of the board of trustees was on the 27th of Sep- 
tember, 1758, the day of the annual commencement. But the rec- 
ord of this meeting is so imperfect, that it does not appear by whom 
the degrees were conferred, or what other business was transacted, 
besides conferring the bachelor's degree on eighteen alumni of the 
college, and the master's degree on seven. 

" On Wednesday the 22d day of November, A. D. 1758," there 
was another meeting, from the records of which the following ex- 
tracts seem proper to be made. 

" The committee empowered to transact the affair of Mr. Davies* 
removal, having produced his answer, and the trustees having con- 
sidered the same, do adjudge that the said answer is final, in the 
negative. 

2d day, 8 o'clock — 

The board proceeded to the choice of a Vice-President of the col- 
lege : Whereupon the Rev. Mr. Jacob Green was duly elected to 
serve until a President is chosen, and was qualified as the charter 
directs : And it is ordered that his salary be at the rate of Two 

U % 



350 NOTES. 

Hundred pounds per annum, for the time he shall serve in the above 
character ; and that he have the care and general government of 
the Grammar school. 

" It is ordered that there be a meeting of the trustees on the sec- 
ond Wednesday of May next, principally designed for the election 
of a President of the College." 

Accordingly there was a meeting " On Wednesday the ninth day 
of May, A. D. 1759" from the minutes of which the following ex- 
tracts will give information of the most important business trans- 
acted. 

" The Rev. Mr. Samuel Davies was proposed as a candidate for 
the Presidency of the college, and admitted Nem : Cont : and also 
the Rev. Mr. Samuel Finley, was admitted a candidate in the same 
manner. Whereupon, after mature deliberation of the premises, 
the said Mr. Samuel Davies was duly elected President of this col- 
lege : and as this society has so long been destitute of a fixed Presi- 
dent, and by means thereof its former flourishing state so greatly 
affected, the trustees desire, and do hereby appoint the Rev. Mess. 
Caleb Smith, John Brainerd and Elihu Spencer, of their number 
(who design to meet the Synod of New- York and Philadelphia on 
the next week) and any other gentlemen of this board who shall 
then be there , to request the said Synod to dismiss the said Mr. 
Davies from his postoral charge, that he may thereby be enabled to 
accept of the said office. 

The Reverend Mr. Green having fulfilled the term of his former 
election of Vice-President of the college, he is hereby appointed to 
continue in his said office, until a fixed President can attend for the 
service of that office. 

Mr. Caleb Smith produced a plan of union among the several col- 
leges in these Provinces, drawn up by Mr. President Clap of Yale 
college in Connecticut, which being read was referred for farther 
consideration." It does not appear that the consideration of this 
plan was ever resumed. 

An extract from a subsequent meeting of the board, hereafter t« 
be given, will show that Mr. Davies accepted his second election to 
the Presidency, and entered on his office July 26th, 1759. 

Mr. Davies was settled in the ministry at Hanover in Virginia, 
about twelve miles distant from the city of^Richmond. His sphere of 
influence there was wide, and his usefulness great. No minister of 
the gospel, perhaps, was ever more beloved and venerated by his 
people than he — To this day his name and memory are inestimably 
precious among the descendants of those who formed his pastoral 
charge, or who only occasionally sat under his powerful preaching. 



NOTES. S31 

It is not wonderful, therefore, that he refused the first offer which 
was made him of the Presidency. He thought that duty forbade 
him to leave his people, and the highly important station which he 
then occupied. Yet the claim and call of the college were ultimate- 
ly yielded to and obeyed, sanctioned, as they were, by the explicit 
advice of the Synod to which he belonged. 

In the mean time, however, the trustees were divided in opinion, 
on the propriety of his second election. He and Dr. Finley were 
both admitted as candidates. Davies was the more popular and 
eloquent man ; Finley the more accurate scholar, as well as already 
practiced in the business of teaching. Neither of them coveted the 
office, and both of them eventually held it. The most ardent friend- 
ship subsisted between them, and was never interrupted or abated. 

The reasons which induced Mr. Lockwood to refuse the Presi- 
dency cannot now be known. He was a man of great worth and 
high reputation. The trustees, however, were not unanimous in his 
election. This is not apparent from the minutes of the board ; but 
Mr. Davies in writing on the subject, to his friend Doctor Gibbons of 
London says — " The trustees were divided between him, another 
gentleman, and myself, but I happily escaped." 

It appears that " the former flourishing state of the college was 
greatly affected, by its being so long destitute of a fixed President." 
This, for obvious reasons, was natural and almost unavoidable. The 
college on its removal to Princeton, consisted, as we have seen, of 
about Seventy Pupils. This number, it is believed, was but little 
increased before the death of President Burr, and considerably di- 
minished before the accession of Mr. Davies. 

The trustees who, at different times, acted as Presidents, and one 
for more than half a year as Vice-President of the college, always 
preached to the students, and probably gave them some religious 
instruction of a more private kind. Beside this, Finley, Smith and 
Green, were employed as teachers in language and science. The 
others, probably, did little more than govern and preach. 

This may be as proper a place as any, to insert an account of the 
first general revival of religion which took place in the institution. 
It will be observed that although the revival began about six 
months before the death of President Burr, its influence and effects 
must have extended into the period now under consideration. The 
account is from the pen of President Davies, in a letter to a religious 
friend in Great-Britain, about four years after his mission thither, to 
solicit benefactions for the college. It is dated " Hanover, June 3d, 
1757 ;" and is as follows— 



332 NOTES. 

The best news, that perhaps I ever heard in my life, I lately re- 
ceived from my favourite friend Mr. Samuel Finley, minister of 
Nottingham in Pennsylvania, tutor of a large academy, and one of 
the trustees of the college of New-Jersey. I had sent him some ex- 
tracts from my British letters, giving an account of the revival of 
religion in sundry parts of England, particularly among the clergy : 
in answer to which he writes thus : 

" April 16, 1757, I greatly rejoice that our Lord Jesus has 

put it in my power to make you a large compensation for the good 
news you sent me. God has done great things for us. Our glorious 
Redeemer poured out his Holy Spirit upon the students of our col- 
lege, not one of all who were present neglected ; and they were in 
number sixty. The whole house, say my correspondents, was a 
Bochim. Mr. William Tennent, who was on the spot, says, He 
" never saw any in that case, who had more clear views of God, 
themselves, and their defects, their impotence and misery, than 
they had in general : that there never was, he believes, in any house, 
more genuine sorrow for sin, and longing after Jesus : that this glo- 
rious wot^k was gradual, and spread like the increasing light of 
the morning : that it was not begun by the ordinary means of preach- 
ing, nor promoted by alarming methods ; yet so great was their 
distress, that he judged it improper to use any arguments of terror 
in publick, lest some should sink under the weight : that what 
makes the gracious visitation more remarkable was, that a little 
before, some of the youth had given a greater loose to their corrup- 
tions, than was ordinary among them ; a spirit of pride and conten- 
tion prevailing, to the great grief, and even discouragement, of the 
worthy President : that there were no publick outcries, but a deco- 
rous, silent solemnity ; that before he came away, several had re- 
ceived something like the spirit of adoption ; being tenderly affected 
with the sense of redeeming love, and thereby disposed and deter- 
mined to endeavour after universal holiness." 

* Mr. Treat and Mr. G. Tennent tell me in theirs, that the con- 
cern appeared rational, solid and scriptural ; and that in a remark- 
able degree. I was informed by some of the students, who had 
been my pupils, that this religious concern first began with the son 
of a very considerable gentleman of New-York. The youth was 
dangerously sick at college ; and on that occasion, awakened to a 
sense of his guilt. His discourse made some impression on a few 
others, and theirs again on more ; so that it became almost general, 
before the good President, or any others, knew any thing of it. As 
soon as it became public, misrepresentations were spread abroad ; 
and some gentlemen sent to bring their sons home. But upon better 



NOTES. 333 

information, the most were sent back again. The wicked compan- 
ions of some young gentlemen left no methods untried, to recover 
them to their former excess of riot, and with two or three have 
been lamentably successful. 

* Mr. Duffield (a worthy young minister) informed me the other 
day, that a very hopeful religious concern spreads through the Jer- 
seys, especially among young people. In several letters from Phil- 
adelphia, from Mr. G. Tennent and others, I have assurance of a 
revival there, for which good people are blessing God. Lawyer 
Stockton* informs me, that he is certified by good authority, of a 
gracious work of God at Yale College in New-Haven." 

This, Sir, is some of the best news from one of the best of my 
correspondents. You will join with me in blessing God, and con- 
gratulating posterity, upon this happy surprising revolution, in a 
college, to which the eager eyes of so many needy churches look for 
supplies. Perhaps it may afford me the more pleasure, as my hav- 
ing taken so much pains to promote that institution, gives me a kind 
of paternal solicitude for it, though I live near 400 miles from it. 

The finger of God is the more conspicuous in this affair, as the 
students, who had so often heard such excellent sermons from the 
worthy President, and from the many ministers from various parts, 
who have occasionally officiated there, without any general good 
effects, should be universally awakened by means of a sick boy. 
Though this college was well founded and well conducted, yet I 
must own, I was often afraid it was degenerating into a college of 
mere learning. But now my fears are removed, by the prospect 
that sincere piety, that grand ministerial qualification, will make 
equal advances. 

PRESIDENT DAVIES' ADMINISTRATION— 

From July 26th 1759, to Feb. 4th, 1761. 
The following extracts from the minutes of the board of trustees, 
with the accompanying remarks, will exhibit the time of Mr. Da- 
vies' accession to the Presidency, the measures which were adopted 
at that time, and through the remainder of his short administra- 
tion. 



* This gentleman, the father of the present Hon. Richard Stockton, LL. D, 
•was a member of the first class that was graduated in the college, the same day oa 
which Mr. Burr was chosen President. He was, at this time, a trustee of the 
institution, and active and influential in all its concerns — For several years, he 
performed gratuitously, all the duties of Clerk of the board. He rose to great 
eminence in his profession ; was a judge of the court under the royal government, 
and Chief Justice of the State of New-Jersey, after the declaration of American 
Independence. Of the Congress which declared that Independence he was a mevx- 



S34 NOTES. 

"Wednesday the 26th day of Sept. A. D. 1759. 

The Rev. Mr. Samuel Davies having, pursuant to the measures 
taken by this board, arrived at Nassau-Hall in July last, and entered 
on his office of President of the college, upon the 26th day of that 
month, was now qualified by taking the several oaths as the charter 
directs. And the board unanimously voted that Mr. Davies' stated 
salary shall begin from the thirteenth day of May last, which was 
the day of the dissolution of the pastoral relation from the people of 
his former charge. 

Ordered, that the treasurer of the college pay to Mr. Davies, the 
sum of £60. 17 '. 5, to defray the expenses of removing his family 
from Hanover to Princeton. 

Ordered, that Mr. Davies' salary for the first half year be paid 
at the end of six months, and half yearly for the future, when prac- 
ticable."— The funds of the college at this time were so scanty and 
uncertain, that the trustees appear to have been afraid to pledge 
themselves for a punctual payment even of the President's salary, 
beyond the first six months. 

" Voted, that the treasurer pay Mr. Green the sum of £100, for 
his six months' services in the college. 

Resolved, that this board do entirely relinquish the Grammar 
School into the hands of President Davies, to be wholly his prop- 
erty, as it was formerly the property of the late President Burr. 

Resolved, that if President Davies shall choose to give any of his 
sons an education in the college, that he shall have the liberty of 
educating them, free from the charge of tuition money. 
Thursday, 8 o'clock, A. M. 

Resolved, that President Davies be desired, as soon as he conven- 
iently can, to take a methodical catalogue of the books in the college 
library, and order the same to be printed at the expense of the 
college. 

Resolved, that Governor Bernard, Messrs. Davies, P. T. Smith, 
W. Tennent, Finley, Green, Cummings and Stockton, or any three 
of them, be a committee to draw:up a system of regulations concern- 
ing admission into the college, with the necessary qualifications for 
degrees ; and that all the other trustees, who choose to be present, 
have liberty of voting. 

ber, and his name is inscribed in the imperishable roll that accompanies the in- 
strument by which it was made known to the world . Nor was it the least of his 
honours that he was " not ashamed of the gospel of Christ :" but was, as the above 
article shows, a friend to revivals of religion. He publickly professed religion, 
adorned it by his life, and experienced its support and consolation in the solemn 
hour of death. On the occasion of his death, which took place in 1781, the late 
President Smith preached and printed a funeral sermon. 



NOTES. 335 

Ordered, that Messrs. Davies, Tennent and Cowell be a com- 
mittee, to purchase a lot of land contiguous to the college, belonging 
to the estate of the late Mr. Samuel Hazard ; and if they shall 
think proper they are hereby empowered to contract for the sale of 
any lands belonging to this corporation, in order to defray the ex- 
pense of said purchase. 

• 3 o'clock P. M. 

Resolved, that Governor Bernard, Mr. P. T. Smith, William 
Smith, Esq. Mr. Woodruff, Messrs. Cowell, Treat, Tennent, Fin- 
ley, Green, Cummings and Stockton, be a committee, any five of 
whom to be a quorum, to consider of proper measures to enlarge 
the fund, and extend the usefulness of the college — All other trus- 
tees present shall have votes in the above committee. 

The board then adjourned to the last Wednesday in September 
next — to meet at Nassau-Hall." 

The committee appointed to devise measures to increase the funds 
of the college had a meeting at Amboy on the 24th of October of 
this year ; but were not able to resolve upon any methods that they 
thought would have a probable tendency to effect that purpose, and 
resolved " to postpone the consideration of that affair." 

At the meeting of the board "on the 24th day of September, 
1760 — the committee appointed at the last meeting to draw up a 
system of regulations concerning admission into college, and to the 
degrees of bachelor and master of arts," made a long report, which 
was amended, and adopted by the board — The substance of it was, 
that candidates for the second or master's degree, if alumni of the 
college, should reside at college, in ordinary cases, for one week be- 
fore the conferring of that degree, and submit to the laws and orders 
of the college; and be examined on such branches of literature as 
the trustees then present should think necessary ; and make such 
preparation for commencement as the officers of the college should 
judge proper — That graduates from other colleges should be admit- 
ted ad eundem, without examination ; but that it should be inserted 
in their Diplomas and publickly declared by the President, in con- 
ferring their degrees, that they were conferred " honoris causa ;" 
and that if they were candidates for a higher degree than they had 
elsewhere received, they should, like the alumni* of the college, re- 
bide a week at the college, and submit to examination. — 

That testimonials of good moral character, signed by two or more 
gentlemen of note and veracity in the place were they had resided, 
should be required from all who might be candidates for the mas- 
ter's degree, unless personally known to the trustees, or officers of 



336 NOTES. 

That any person might have liberty to offer himself, at the pub- 
lick examination, as a candidate for a bachelor's degree ; and if 
approved that he should be admitted thereto accordingly, upon pay- ' 
ing the sum of eight pounds, being the tuition money for two years, 
exclusive of degree fees. 

That candidates for any class, higher than the freshman, should 
Hot only be previously examined as usual, but recite for two weeks 
upon trial, in that particular class for which they might stand candi- 
dates, and then should be fixed in that, or in a lower class, as the 
college officers should judge them qualified. 

At this meeting it was " Voted, that for the future the President, 
Or tutors who shall at that time officiate, have liberty to appoint 
any of the students to read a portion of the Sacred Scriptures, out of 
the original language, at evening prayers : and that when they think 
proper they may substitute psalmody, instead of reading the Scrip- 
tures, at evening prayers." It is believed that it was from the orig- 
inal language of the New-Testament only, that a portion of Scrip- 
ture was read into the vernacular tongue, at prayers in the college 
chapel. This was a practice long continued, and which, in the 
judgment of the writer, would better never have been altered for 
the later practice of reading from the vulgar translation. Every 
thing which is calculated to promote and honour an accurate ac- 
quaintance with the ancient languages, is of high importance in a 
literary establishment. It was, however, the officiating officer, 
whether President or Tutor, that commonly read from the Greek 
New-Testament, on these occasions. 

" Voted, that as to the laws which are enforced by pecuniary 
punishments, the President and tutors have discretionary power of 
inflicting those particular fines, or of substituting any other punish- 
ment, short of suspension or expulsion, in their stead — still so as ta 
be accountable to the board of trustees for the use of this power." 
The practice of fining the students for small offences, or omissions of 
duty, continued till the time of Doctor Witherspoon, under whose 
administration it entirely ceased ; and has never since been revived. 
This mode of discipline, however, was never much in use ; nor were 
the fines ever permitted to rise to a large amount. Doctor Finley, 
in his account of the college, observes that " it would seem' to be 
punishing parents for the offences of their children" — and apologizes 
for it, by the remark just made, that it was not often done, and that 
the fines were always small. He says that under his Presidency, at 
the time he wrote, no fine had ever been imposed. 



NOTES. 337 

" Voted, that for the future the President and tutors, in conjunc? 
tion with any other gentlemen of liberal education who shall choose 
to be present, do, betwixt the examination and publick commence- 
ment annually, examine the several classes, and that such as are 
found unqualified shall not be allowed to rise in the usual course"—- 
Mr. Davies is believed to have suggested this regulation, which has 
been regarded from his time to the present, and with increased 
strictness. For a number of years past, the whole college has been 
closely examined four times a year. Degradation from a class, how- 
ever, has seldom taken place, except at the end of a term or ses- 
sion. 

Nothing has more contributed to render education in this institu- 
tion efficient, than the strictness of examinations, and not suffering 
those to advance who have been found grossly deficient in the stud- 
ies of the class to which they have belonged ; and of course, the 
refusing of degrees to those who have not had some fair claim, from 
actual qualifications, to receive them. It has never been supposed 
that the attainments of all would be equal. A very considerable 
disparity has always been expected and found, among the members 
of a large class. Yet reputable attainments have been demanded 
from all. And there have been a number of instances in which 
students, by being put back a year, have been roused to activity and 
diligence, and have eventually received their degrees with honour 
to themselves and to the institution. Besides, it seems not easily 
reconcileable with propriety and truth, to sign and seal such a testi- 
monial of acquisitions in language and science, as forms the very 
substance of a diploma, when it is perfectly known, or ought to be 
known, that the acquisitions specified have not been made. Diplo- 
mas must cease to be valuable, when it becomes notorious that they 
are obtained without merit. 

" Ordered, that Messrs. Davies, Wm. Tennent, Cowell and 
Stockton, draw up an historical account of the rise, progress and 
present state of the college, and print the same as soon as they con- 
veniently can." The importance of an historical account of the 
college was thus early seen. Subsequent events, however, prevent- 
ed the execution of the order here given, for a considerable time. 
It was doubtless expected that Mr. Davies would be the writer of 
this history. But this was prevented by his death, shortly after the 
order was given. The labour of compiling the history was then 
assigned, in September 1762, to William Peartree Smith, Esq. The 
record on the subject is as follows — " Mr. William Peartree Smith, 
one of the members of this board, is requested by the trustees to 
draw up a full account of the college, from its foundation to this 

X 2 



SS8 NOTES. 

time, giving therein a particular account of the state of its fund, the 
manner of education, the number of the students, and all other mat- 
ters he may think proper, relative thereto, and print the same, at 
the expense of this board : And the President of the college is 
desired to furnish Mr. Smith a state of the facts necessary to that 
purpose." Mr. Smith declined the service here allotted to him, as 
appears by a record, at a meeting of the board in September 1763, 
in these words — " Mr. Wm. P. Smith having declined the service of 
drawing up an account of the college, the President of the college is 
desired to do the same, and have his draught ready to lay before 
this board at the next spring vacation." It appears that the requi- 
site number of members to form a board did not attend at the spring 
vacation ; and no notice is taken, in the subsequent minutes, of this 
whole business of a history of the college. Dr. Finley was President 
when Mr. Smith was appointed to draw up the account, and was to 
furnish that gentleman with the materials. The materials were 
probably collected, when the concern was confided to the Doctor 
himself ; and as the board failed of a meeting in the spring, as they 
never mention the history afterwards, and as it was actually pub- 
lished in 1764, there is no reason to doubt that it was done in the 
summer of that year, by President Finley, without having been sub- 
mitted to the inspection of the board, previously to its publication. 

From this history very little can be learned of the rise, or origin 
of the college. Nor ought this to be regarded as a censurable defect. 
It was then " proper rather to say nothing that was false, than all 
that was true."* The schism in the Synod had very lately been 
healed, and both parties were still smarting from the blows inflicted 
while the unhappy contest had continued. It was, therefore, pru- 
dent to leave that subject untouched. The Province was still under 
a royal government, not partial to the Presbyterians, or to the col- 
lege. For this reason it was proper to say nothing of the first char- 
ter ; in which, probably, there were restrictions which it was wish- 
ed should be forgotten. The account, after what has heretofore 
been quoted, consists chiefly of statements relative to the system of 
education pursued, the method of government, the expenses of the 
students, the want of funds, and the claim which the college had on 
publick patronage. It was accompanied by a very well executed 
plate, exhibiting a view of the front of the college edifice, the yard 
which lies before it, and a part of the President's house. An addi- 
tional extract from it will hereafter appear — Of this former history 
of the college it seemed proper that the preceeding account should 

* Johnson's life of Addison. 



NOTES. 339 

here be given, although extending considerably beyond the period of 
Mr. Davies' administration, since to him the business of compiling 
the history was first committed, and probably by him was first sug- 
gested. 

President Davies died on the 4th of February, 1762 ; having re- 
mained in office but a few days more than eighteen months. But 
even during this short period his reputation, talents and services, 
were of incalculable benefit to the institution. His popularity in the 
church to which he belonged was great and unrivalled. He was 
highly respected by other religious denominations. He was well 
and personally known to the friends of the college in Britain, as well 
as in America. He was in the full vigour of life, with a mind capa- 
cious and ardent, and with habits of activity and energy fully estab- 
lished by time and use. He devoted all his time and faculties, 
unremittingly, to the service of the college. We have seen that he 
was instrumental in introducing into it one of the best permanent 
usages ; and indeed every change that he made was a manifest im- 
provement. A poet and an orator himself, he turned the attention 
of his pupils to the cultivation of English composition and eloquence, 
with great effect. He introduced the practice, ever since continued, 
of delivering monthly orations, by the members of the senior class. 
He presided at two commencements. At the latter of these, a po~ 
etick dialogue was pubiickly recited, as a part of the commence- 
ment exercises. It was afterwards printed in a handsome quarto 
pamphlet ; and was read, in his boyhood, by the present writer, 
with great interest and* pleasure ; but he knows not whether a copy 
of it is any where now to be found. It is believed to have been the 
composition of the President himself, although this was not stated in 
the publication. The subject of the dialogue was, the glorious 
achievements of the British arms, both by sea and land, in the war 
with the French which then existed, but which was nearly termina- 
ted. By this war, conducted chiefly under the auspicious adminis- 
tration of the first William Pitt, afterwards Lord Chatham, it 
is known that the French power and influence in North America 
were nearly annihilated. That great minister, and the generals 
and admirals whom he selected, and whose successes were then 
recent and the subject of much popular exultation, were eulogized in 
this poetick dialogue, in very animated strains. If the writer's 
memory is correct, it was partly in. blank verse, and partly in 
rhyme. 

The number of students under the administration of President 
Davies cannot be exactly ascertained. It probably did not, at any 
time, exceed a hundred ; and at his death it must have come very 
little short of that number. 



340 NOTES. 

In the following brief memoir of this distinguished man, the au- 
thor has taken freely from various publications, and has inserted 
some well authenticated facts, which, so far as he knows, have never 
before appeared in print. 

The Rev. Samuel Davie s was, it is believed, of Welch descent, 
both by his father's and mother's side. His father was a farmer of 
Small property, of intellectual endowments rather below than above 
the ordinary level, of unpolished manners, but of a blameless and 
religious life. His mother was a woman of very superior natural 
powers of mind, and of eminent and most ardent piety. 

The subject of this memoir was born in the county of New-Castle, 
in what is now the State of Delaware, November 3d, 1724. His 
mother, after the birth of her first child, a daughter, had remained 
for five years, without the prospect of farther issue. Her desire to 
be instrumental in promoting the cause of the Redeemer, led her to 
pray with great fervour that she might be the mother of a man 
child ; and solemnly to vow that, should her prayer be granted, she 
would, like Hannah of old, devote him to the Lord, for the service 
of the sanctuary, all his days. She believed that the son whom she 
soon afterwards bore, was given to her in answer to prayer ; and she 
called him Samuel, that she might at once, as far as practicable, 
imitate the woman in sacred story, to whose circumstances she be- 
lieved that her own were analagous, and whom she had taken for 
her example. The fact here stated is mentioned by Mr. Davies 
himself, in a letter to Dr. Gibbons of London, with this addition — 
*' This early dedication to God has always been a strong inducement 
to me to devote myself to Him, by my own personal act ; and the 
most important blessings of my life I have looked upon as immedi- 
ate answers to the prayers of a pious mother. But alas ! what a 
degenerate plant am I ! How unworthy such a parent, and such a 
birth !" 

It may well be supposed that the mother of Mr. Davies would 
regard him with more than common maternal tenderness and solici- 
tude, and would labour, from the first, to form him for that sacred 
service to which she had devoted him. At a very early age, she 
herself taught him to read, and his proficiency in learning, under 
his mother's instructions, is said to have surprised all who had the 
opportunity to observe it. He continued at home with his parents 
till he was about ten years old ; and as there was no school in the 
neighbourhood, he had, till that age, no teacher but his mother. 
Nor does it appear that hitherto he had experienced any remarka- 
ble impressions of a religious kind. His character was merely that 
of a sprightly and docile child, under the influence of pious exam* 



NOTES. S41 

pie and instruction. At ten years of age, he was sent to an English 
school, at some distance from his father's residence, where he contin- 
ued two years ; and is said to have made rapid progress in his 
learning. He excelled in penmanship, in after life ; and he proba- 
bly acquired the elements of it in this school. But for want of the 
pious instruction with which he was favoured at home, he grew, 
according to his own statement, sadly careless of the things of re- 
ligion. Yet he still made a practice of secret prayer, especially in 
the evening. The reason which he assigns in his diary for his punc- 
tuality in his evening attempts at devotion is " that he feared lest he 
should die before morning." But what is most observable in his 
prayers at this time is " that he was more ardent in his supplica- 
tions for being introduced into the gospel ministry, than for any- 
other thing." 

At about twelve years of age, he was awakened to solemn 
thoughtfulness and anxious concern about his eternal state. And 
so deeply imprinted was the rational sense of his danger, as to make 
him habitually uneasy and restless, till he obtained satisfying scrip- 
tural evidence of his interest in the forgiving love of God. Yet he 
was, afterwards, exercised with many perplexing doubts, for a 
long season ; but at length, after years of impartial, repeated self- 
examination, he attained to a settled confidence of his interest in re- 
deeming grace, which he retained to the end of life. 

A diary which he kept in the first years of his religious life, clear- 
ly shows how intensely his mind was set on heavenly things ; how 
observant he was of the temper of his heart ; and how watchful 
over all his thoughts, words, and actions. Did any censure his foi- 
bles, or juvenile indiscretions i* They would have done it compas- 
sionately, had they known how severely he censured them himself. 
The tribunal erected in his own bosom, was more critical in scruti- 
nizing, and more impartial and severe in passing sentence, than 
either his friends or his enemies could be. 

The precise period at which he made a publick profession of 
religion, by joining in the communion of the church, the compiler of 
this narrative has not been able to ascertain. It is believed to have 
been in the fifteenth year of his age — perhaps a little earlier. It is 
likewise unknown, at what age he first entered on a course of libe- 
ral studies, or who was his first grammar master. It appears prob- 
able that, either with or without a teacher, he had acquired some 
knowledge, at least of the Latin language, before he was put under 
the care of the Rev. Samuel Blair, of Fog's Manor, in Chester coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania. Here it was, however, that he acquired the 
greater part both e.f his academical learning-, and of his theological 



342 NOTES. 

knowledge. Mr. Blair was well qualified to be a teacher of both ; 
and several eminent men in the American church, beside President 
Davies, were his pupils. Mr. Blair was also an excellent and power- 
ful preacher. Mr. Davies, on his return from Britain, told a cleri- 
cal brother, who inquired with a good deal of earnestness about the 
eloquent pulpit orators whom he had heard abroad, that there was 
scarcely one of them who exceeded, and that most of them came 
far short of his old master, Mr. Blair ; both as to the matter of their 
discourses, and the impression produced by their delivery. Mr. 
Blair's academy was conducted on the same plan with that of many 
of the dissenting academies in Britain, at that time, as well as be- 
fore and since. Men intended for secular business were not entirely 
excluded ; but the chief design of the institution was, to prepare 
youth for the gospel ministry. Hence the acquisition of Theologi- 
cal knowledge was an object of constant attention, throughout 
the whole academick course ; and when that course was finished, 
it was usually but a very short period that elapsed, before those who 
had passed it were licensed to preach the gospel. Yet it is not to be 
understood that, either as scholars or divines, those who were thus 
educated were generally men of inferior attainments. On the con- 
trary, many of them were both good scholars, and profound Theolo- 
gians. In knowledge of the ancient languages, and in acquaintance 
with the best and ablest writers on systematick Divinity, their suc- 
cessors, it is feared, have rarely been their equals. The powers of 
Mr. Davies, and his assiduous attention to study, would, of course, 
render his progress unusually great, for the time which he passed 
at Mr. Blair's academy. But his poverty, it is likely, prevented his 
spending as much time as was common, and as was earnestly de- 
sired by himself, in the acquisition of knowledge, before he began 
to preach. It is believed that the period of his residence at Fog's 
Manor was not greater than five years — probably it was something 
less. While pursuing his Theological studies, it is known that he 
received pecuniary assistance, by a sum of money raised among the 
very people in Virginia, toward whom he afterwards sustained the 
pastoral relation, but to whom at that time he was wholly unknown. 
They intended it, when raised, as some remuneration of the servi- 
ces of a Mr. Robinson, who had first preached the gospel among 
them. He refused to receive it for his own benefit, but on their 
insisting that it should be at his disposal, he told them that it should 
be applied to aid a promising youth, who was pursuing his studies 
for the gospel ministry. It was given to Mr. Davies ; and on his 
grateful and pious heart, the donation made such an impression as 
was never effaced. There is every reason to believe that it had a 



NOTES. S4S 

very considerable influence on his determination to settle in the 
ministry among this people, as it certainly was the occasion of his 
being sent to them at first. 

Not having access to the records of the Presbytery of New-Cas- 
tle, in which Mr. Davies was licensed to preach the gospel, the wri- 
ter has not been able to ascertain the precise time of that licensure. 
In the monumental inscription, which will be given at length in the 
close of this memoir, it is said—" Natus est in comitatu de New- 
Castle, juxta Delaware 3o Novembris, anno salutis reparatas, 1724, 
S. V. Sacris ibidem initiatus 19° Februarii, 1747." As it is well 
known that his first visit to Virginia was in the spring of the year 
1747, he was, no doubt, a little before, ordained — initiatus sacris — as 
an evangelist, or sine titulo, with a view to qualify him to perform 
pastoral duties, or to accept the pastoral office, if he should be cal- 
led to either, or to both, in the mission on which he was about to 
enter. The probability is, that he had then been licensed but a 
very short time ; for his intimate friend, Mr. Bostwick, in giving a 
sketch of his life and character, shortly after his death, says — 
" Scarcely toas he known as a publick preacher, but he was sent 
to some of the distant settlements of Virginia;" and at this time, he 
was six months less than 23 years of age. 

He remained in Virginia, on his first visit, but a few weeks, and 
then returned to New-Castle. The remainder of this year and the 
beginning of the next, were spent in preaching in Delaware, Penn- 
sylvania and Maryland ; and scarcely was there a vacant congrega- 
tion in which his voice was heard, that did not desire and endeavour 
to secure his permanent services. In the mean time, he was at- 
tacked by a disease, which he supposed to be a mortal consumption 
of the lungs. But, although he believed himself to be on the borders 
of the grave, he determined to spend the little remains of an almost 
exhausted life, as he apprehended it, in endeavouring to advance his 
master's glory, in the salvation of souls. With this view, he went 
to a place at a considerable distance, which was destitute of the 
preaching of the gospel, where he laboured, in season and out of 
season, preached in the day and had his hectick fever by night, and 
that to such a degree as to be sometimes delirious, and to stand in 
need of persons to sit up with him. Nor did he thus labour in vain., 
but received, at this very time, some of the first fruits of his minis- 
try, in several instances of the hopeful conversion of sinners, two of 
which he considered as very remarkable. 

In the spring of 1748, he received a call from the people of Han- 
over, Henrico, and two other neighbouring congregations in Vir- 
ginia, to settle among them, as their pastor. This call, in the 



344 NOTES. 

month of April of that year, he accepted, and immediately set out 
for the place of his future pastoral labours. At this time he had 
begun slowly to recover, from what he calls his " melancholv and 
consumptive languishments ;" though he adds, " I then looked upon 
it only as the intermission of a disorder that would finally prove 
mortal. But upon the arrival of a messenger from Hanover, I put 
my life in my hand, and determined to accept of their call, hoping I 
might live to prepare the way for some more useful successor ; and 
willing to expire under the fatigues of duty, rather than in volunta- 
ry negligence." 

In the colony of Virginia, at this time, Episcopacy, according to 
the order of the church of England, was the religion established and 
supported by law ; and " the act of uniformity" was enforced with 
even greater rigour than in the mother country. The " act of tole- 
ration" had been passed in England, expressly for the relief of 
protestant dissenters ; but it was made the subject of earnest con- 
troversy in Virginia, whether this latter act was intended to have 
any reference to the colonies. Mr. Davies maintained that it was- 
as applicable to the colonies as to the mother country ; and that if 
the act of toleration was not law in Virginia, the act of uniformity 
was equally destitute of legal authority. On this point he had a 
long controversy with the king's attorney general, Peyton Randolph, 
afterwards the President of the first Continental Congress, and with 
the general court of the colony. On one occasion he appeared 
personally before the court, and replied in such a manner to the 
Attorney General, as to impress even his enemies with the highest 
respect for his knowledge, address, and eloquence. He maintained 
his cause inflexibly, till, when he went to England, to solicit bene- 
factions for the college, he brought the subject before the king and 
council ; and received from the Attorney General, Sir Dudley Rider, 
a declaration, under authority, that the provisions of the act of tole- 
ration did extend to the colony of Virginia. 

Before this subject, however, had produced the excitement which 
afterwards took place, Mr. Davies, assuming what we have seen 
that he afterwards triumphantly maintained, that the act of tolera- 
tion permitted dissenting ministers, going into Virginia, to qualify 
themselves according to the provisions of that act, was careful, on 
his first visit, to qualify himself accordingly. " Upon my arrival — 
he says — I petitioned the general court to grant me a license to offi- 
ciate in and about Hanover, at four meeting houses, which, after some 
delay, was granted, upon my qualifying myself according to the act 
of toleration." 



NOTES- 343 

Upon his settlement in Virginia, in the spring of 1748, his stated 
preaching, for several months, was confined to the four places of 
worship, for which he had obtained license the preceeding year. 
The following extract from one of his letters to Dr. Bellamy, ta- 
ken in connection with the extracts already made, will give the best 
account of his labours and success in the ministry, from the time of 
his settlement, till the year 1751. " In October 1748, besides the 
four meeting houses already mentioned, the people petitioned for 
the licensing of three more, which, with great difficulty, was obtain- 
ed. Among these seven, I have hitherto divided my time. Three 
of them lie in Hanover County, the other four in the counties of 
Henrico, Caroline, Louisa, and Goochland. The nearest are twelve 
or fifteen miles distant from each other, and the extremes about 
forty. My congregation is extremely dispersed ; and notwithstand- 
ing the number of the meeting-houses, some live twenty, some thir- 
ty, and a few forty miles from the nearest. Were they all com- 
pactly situated in one county, they would be sufficient to form 
three distinct congregations — Many of the church people also at- 
tend, when there is sermon at any of these houses. This I looked 
upon, at first, as mere curiosity after novelty ; but as it continues, 
and in some places seems to increase, I cannot but look upon it as a 
happy token of their being at length thoroughly engaged. And I 
have the greater reason to hope so now, as experience has confirmed 
my former hopes ; fifty or sixty families having thus been happily en- 
tangled in the net of the gospel by their own curiosity, or some such 
motive. There are about three hundred communicants in my con- 
gregation, of whom the greatest number are, in the judgment of 
rational charity, real christians. Besides some, who, through exces 
sive scrupulousness, do not seek admission to the Lord's table. 
There is also a number of Negroes. Sometimes I see an hundred 
and more among my hearers. I have baptized about forty of them, 
within these three years, upon such a profession of faith as I then 
judged credible. Some of them, I fear, have apostatized ; but oth- 
ers, I trust, will persevere to the end. I have had as satisfying 
evidence of the sincere piety of several of them, as ever I had from 
any person in my life, and their artless simplicity, their passionate 
aspirations after Christ, their incessant endeavours to know and do 
the will of God, have charmed me. But alas ! while my charge is 
so extensive, I cannot take sufficient pains with them for their in- 
struction, which often oppresses my heart. There have been in- 
stances of unhappy apostacy among us ; but blessed be God, not 
many in proportion to the number brought under concern. At 
present there are a few under promising impressions ; but, in gen- 

Y2 * 



34G NOTES. 

cral, security prevails. Oh ! for a little reviving in our bondage } — 
I might have given you a particular account of the conversion of 
some persons here, as indeed there are some uncommon instances of 
it, but I shall only observe in general, that abstracting from particu- 
lar circumstances, the work of conversion has been carried on in 
such steps as are described by experimental divines, as Allien, 
Shepherd, Stoddard, Flavel, 8cc. And nothing confirms me more in 
the truth of their opinions concerning experimental piety, than this 
agreement and uniformity, as to the substance, in the exercises of 
those that can make the fairest claim to saving grace. Were you, 
sir, a narrow bigot, you would, no doubt, rejoice to hear that there 
are now some hundreds of dissenters in a place, where, a few years 
ago, there were not ten ; but I assure myself of your congratula- 
tions on a nobler account, because a considerable number of perish- 
ing sinners are gained to the blessed Redeemer, with whom, though 
you never see them here, you may spend a blissful eternity. — After 
all, poor Virginia demands your compassion, for religion at present 
is but like the cloud which Elijah's servant saw. O that it may spread 
and cover the land." 

The home of Mr. Davies was in the county of Hanover, about 
twelve miles from Richmond ; but his occasional labours were ex- 
tended through a considerable part of the colony ; and he acquired 
an influence, greater probably, than any other preacher of the gos- 
pel in Virginia ever possessed. It was the influence of fervent 
piety and zeal, directed by a mind of uncommon compass and force. 
He took no little pains to instruct the negroes, and a considerable 
number of them were seals of his ministry. Till this day, many of 
the descendants of his negro converts, manifest the happy effects of 
the pious instructions and example of their parents. 

It has already been stated that in 1753, Mr. Davies accompanied 
the Rev. Gilbert Tennent of Philadelphia, on a mission to Great 
Britain, to solicit donations for the college. The Synod of New- 
York, which always regarded the college as its own offspring, and 
watched over it with parental care, provided for the supply of the 
pulpit of Mr. Davies, during his mission. The expense of this sup- 
ply was borne by the trustees, and the stated salary which he receiv- 
ed from his people, was continued to his family. The expenses of 
both the missionaries were defrayed by the board, but they received 
no other remuneration. 

Mr. Davies left his home on September 3d, 1753, and came on to 
make his arrangements, preparatory to his voyage. He attended 
the commencement at Newark, where he delivered a Thesis — Per- 
sonates Distinctiones in Trinitate sunt eeternee—axid vindicated it, in 



NOTES. M7 

a public dispute, against three opponents ; and afterwards received 
the degree of Master of Arts. He then visited Mr. Brainerd, the 
Indian missionary, and " took a view of the Indian town ; and was 
pleased at the affection of the poor savages to their minister, and his 
condescention to them." A few days after this, the Synod of 
New- York, convened in Philadelphia. Here Mr. Davies 
met with his brethren, and appears from his journal to have 
enjoyed their society with the most exquisite relish. His principal 
business, however, was to obtain supplies for his people, during his 
expected absence. In this he was successful and says — " I hope 
this will turn to the benefit of my dear congregation. O that 
God may go with his messengers thither." He visited his early and 
very dear friend Mr. Rodgers, afterwards the Rev. Doctor Rodgers 
of New- York, at Saint Georges, in New-Castle, Delaware ; heard 
him preach and joined with him in receiving the sacrament of the 
Lord's supper. On Saturday, November 17th, 1753, he went on 
board a vessel bound for London, with his friend Mr. Tennent, and 
on the next day they set sail. During a great part of his voyage he 
was much affected with sea-sickness. On the 19th of November he 
says in his journal, M We are now out of* sight of land — Cesium un- 
dique, undique jiontus. It would be particularly pleasing to me to 
see the wonders of the majestick ocean ; but I have been confined to 
bed most of the day, and am so much out of my element, that I am 
neither fit for conversation nor curious observation — However, I 
feel calm within, and resigned to the divine will — O Lord bless my 
dear family." 

He arrived in London on the 25th of December, and with his asso- 
ciate was very kindly received. He prosecuted the object of his 
mission with great zeal and diligence, and with a success that 
surprised himself. His social intercourse was necessarily, 
for the most part, among the dissenters. He became acquainted 
with all their leading men of the clergy, whether Presbyterians, 
Baptists, or Independents. He preached frequently and with great 
acceptance and applause ; and as appears from a statement which 
he afterwards made to his people, when called to the Presidency of 
the college, was invited to settle in the ministry in Britain. The 
limits of this memoir do not permit much detail ; but the following 
extract from his diary, for Tuesday, March 19th, 1754, will serve to 
show the favourable manner in which his publick ministrations were 
received, and the humility with which he bore his popularity. — 
"Went to the Amsterdam CofFee-House, among the Baptist and In- 
dependent ministers, where I enjoy most satisfaction. Received the 
thanks of the governors of the charity school in Bartholomew close, 



348 NOTES, 

for my sermon there, which were presented to me in a very res- 
pectful manner, by Dr. Guyse, as their deputy — Though it be hard 
to repress the workings of vanity, even in a creature as unworthy as 
I, under so much applause ; yet I think my heart rises in sincere 
gratitude to God, for advancing me from a mean family and utter 
obscurity, into some importance in the world, and giving me so many 
advantages of publick usefulness — Indeed I think there is hardly a 
greater instance of this in the present age. Alas ' that I do not bet- 
ter improve my opportunities." From England he went to Scot- 
land, where he was also well received, and met with considerable 
success in the business of his mission. 

The precise time of his return to America is not known. Early 
in the year 1755, he was among his people in Hanover, labouring 
with his accustomed zeal and fidelity. But he did not content him- 
self merely with the discharge of pastoral duties. The country was 
alarmed and agitated, to the highest degree, by a French and Indian 
war. There was even much talk of abandoning a part of the colony 
of Virginia to the enemy. On the 10th of July, 1755, General Brad- 
dock sustained his memorable defeat, and the remnant of his army 
was saved by the courage and skill of Colonel Washington, then 
only twenty-three years old. On the 20th of this month, Mr. Da- 
vies preached a sermon " On the defeat of General Braddock going 
to Fort Du Quesne." In this sermon he calls on all his hearers, in 
the most empassioned and animating strains, to show " themselves 
men, Britons and christians, and to make a noble stand for the bless- 
ings they enjoyed." It was feared that the negroes would rise up 
and join the Indians and French. His influence among the blacks, 
was greater perhaps, than that of any other man ; and he used it all 
to persuade and deter them from any thoughts of joining the enemy. 
In August of the same year, he delivered a sermon, in Hanover, to 
Captain Overton's company of Independent volunteers, under the 
title of " Religion and Patriotism the constituents of a good soldier." 
It was in a note to this sermon, after expressing a hope that " God 
had been pleased to diffuse some sparks of martial fire through our 
country," and appealing to the company of volunteers then addres- 
sed, as a proof of the fact, that he expressed the hope, or the prog- 
nostick, which has so often since been noticed, in regard to him who 
became " first in war ; first in peace ; and first in the hearts of his 
countrymen." "As a remarkable instance of this (said Mr Davies) 
I may point out to the publick that heroick youth, Colonel Wash- 
ington, whom I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved, 
in so signal a manner, for some imjiortant service to his country" 
On another occasion he preached a sermon " to the militia of Han v 



NOTES. 549 

©ver county in Virginia, at a general muster, May 8th, 1759, with 
a view to raise a company for Captain Samuel Meredith." At the 
close of this discourse a company was made up in a few minutes, 
and many more offered their names than the Captain was authoriz- 
ed by law to command. The preacher repaired from the muster 
ground to the tavern, to order his horse ; and the whole regiment 
followed him, and pressed round him to catch every word that dropt 
from his lips. On observing their desire, he stood in the tavern 
porch, and again addressed them, till he was exhausted with speak- 
ing. 

The celebrated Patrick Henry of Virginia, is known to have spo- 
ken in terms of enthusiasm of Mr. Davies. And as that great states- 
man and powerful orator lived, from his eleventh to his twenty- 
second year, in the neighbourhood where the patriotick sermons of 
Mr. Davies were delivered, and which produced effects as powerful 
as those ascribed to the orations of Demosthenes himself, it has 
been supposed, with much probability, that it was Mr. Davies who 
first kindled the fire and afforded the model of Henry's elocu- 
tion, 

But Mr. Davies never permitted patriotism or politicks to inter- 
fere with his duties, or tarnish his character, as a minister of the 
gospel of Christ. With him every thing was subordinate to relig- 
ion ; or rather he did all that he did as a part of his religious duty. 
As such he regarded it, to exert himself to the utmost to preserve 
his country from the savage ferocity of the Indians, and the tyranny 
and popery of the French. But in the mean time, he preached the 
gospel with unwearied assiduity ; and laboured incessantly among 
the negroes, as well as the white population, in winning souls to the 
Saviour, and in extending and establishing the institutions of re- 
ligion. He is to be regarded as the founder of the first Presbytery 
in the State of Virginia. During his mission to England, the 
Rev. John Todd, his friend and class-mate, supplied his congrega- 
tions, as a stated preacher. Shortly after the return of Mr. Davies, 
the Presbytery of Hanover was erected. The act of the Synod of 
New-York for this purpose, bears date September 3d, 1755. The 
ministers composing the body, and named in the minutes of Synod, 
are Samuel Davies, John Todd, Alexander Craighead, Robert Hen- 
ry, John Wright, and John Brown. Mr. Davies was appointed to 
open the Presbytery, which was directed to meet in Hanover, on the 
3d of December in that year. 

The limits of the Presbytery of Hanover, originally comprehended 
the whole of Virginia, and a considerable part, if not the whole, of 
North-Carolina. Through this extensive region, there were scat- 



350 NOTES. 

tered numerous settlements of protestant dissenters, besides many 
"who had originally belonged to the established church, but had cho- 
sen to leave it and to join the dissenters. Of this whole dissenting in- 
terest, Mr. Davies was the animating soul. He made his influence 
to be felt every where ; he transfused his own spirit into the bosoms 
of his associates, and roused them by the force of his example. His 
popularity in Virginia was almost unbounded ; so that he was invit- 
ed and urged to preach, in almost all the settled portions of the 
colony. The Presbytery to which he belonged, willing and desirous 
to gratify the people as far as possible, directed him to supply the 
vacancies, with a frequency which at last became offensive to his 
own immediate charge. They warmly remonstrated with the 
Presbytery against being deprived of so much of their pastor's 
time and labours, unless, in his absence, his congregation should be 
provided with some one to supply his place. They obtained some 
relief of their grievance ; yet not such as to prevent an appeal to 
the Synod on the subject ; the issue of which is not known. To Mr. 
Davies himself, however, no blame was attached by any party. 
He appeared willing to spend and be spent, in any service to which 
his duty called him. 

In this manner was he situated and employed, when he was called 
to the Presidency of the college. With what reluctance those who 
were enjoying his ministrations in the wide sphere which he filled, 
and by whom he was so beloved and admired, *' that if it had been 
possible, they would have plucked out their own eyes, and have 
given them to him," — with what reluctance they would be finally 
separated from him as their pastor, teacher, counsellor and friend, 
may better be conceived than described. His attachment to them, 
likewise, was not less strong and ardent, than theirs to him. But he 
considered himself, as every minister of the gospel ought to consider 
himself, a devoted man — bound to serve his Lord and Master in 
whatever place, and in whatever manner that Lord and Master might 
please to appoint. After once and again refusing the call of the 
college, after deliberating on it maturely, and after it was enforced 
by the opinion and advice of his brethren, he obeyed. In his 
farewell address to his people, which is highly pathetick and 
tender, he explained to them the reasons and motives by which he 
had been influenced and governed, in his determination to leave 
them. He appears to have satisfied them that he acted agreeably 
to his own views of duty, as their affection for him was never with- 
drawn or diminished ; but if the decision had been left to them- 
selves, it would probably have been different from that which, 
tmder the sanction of the Synod, was reluctantly formed by himself 



NOTES. 351 

The services which he rendered in his official capacity, as Presi- 
dent of the college, have already been stated. His popularity as a 
preacher, was equally great, wherever he went, or among whomso- 
ever employed ; in Britain and in America, in the mountains and 
vales of Virginia and in the chapel of Nassau-Hall, among the ne- 
groes of the Southern colonies, the citizens of Philadelphia, and the 
students and graduates of the college. His were those powers of elo- 
quence, connected with that manifest ardent desire to do good to the 
souls of men, which find their way to every heart which prejudice has 
not closed, and which accommodate themselves to every gradation of 
intellect, or rank in society. The writer has been informed, by 
one of his constant hearers at Princeton, that whenever he invited a 
brother clergyman to perform an occasional service, it was scarcely 
possible to prevent the manifestation of the disappointment and re- 
gret which were universally felt ; but that every indication of these 
feelings which was made known to him, he repressed with a decision 
and severity, which he discovered on scarcely any other occasion. 

His death has been attributed to his being unskilfully bled. It 
was more probably precipitated by his unremitting application to 
study, and to the duties of his office. His previous situation had af- 
forded little leisure, and comparatively few means, for the cultiva- 
tion' of general science. It was natural, therefore, that even his 
friends should have had some doubts of his complete preparation, to 
nil and adorn the new sphere in which he was called to move. To 
qualify himself for this, his application to study was intense and un- 
remitted. He rose by break of day, and seldom retired to rest till 
midnight. The habit of his body being plethorick, his health had s 
for some years, greatly depended on the exercise of riding, to 
which he was, from necessity, much habituated in Virginia. This 
salutary exercise had, from the time he took charge of the college, 
been almost entirely relinquished. Toward the close of January, 
1761, he was seized with a bad cold, for which he was bled. The 
same day he transcribed for the press, his sermon on the death of 
king George the second. The day following, he preached twice in 
the college chapel. The arm in which he had been bled — surely 
from a cause sufficiently obvious — became much inflamed, and his 
febrile disposition was much increased. On the morning of the suc- 
ceeding Monday, he was seized, while at breakfast, with violent 
chills, succeeded by an inflammatory fever, which in ten days 
terminated his life. 

A few days before the beginning of the year in which Mr. Davies 
died, an intimate friend told him that a sermon would be expected 
from him on new-year's day ; adding, among other things, that Pre^ 



S52 NOTES. 

sident Burr, on the first day of the year in which he died, preached 
a sermon on Jer. XXVIII. 16. " Thus saith the Lord, This year 
thou shalt die ;"* and that after his death the people remarked that 
it was premonitory. Mr. Davies replied, that " although it ought 
not to be viewed in that light, yet it was very remarkable." When 
new-year's day came, he preached, and to the surprise of the con- 
gregation took the same text. When seized by a fever, about three 
weeks afterwards, he adverted to the circumstance, and remarked 
that he had been undesignedly led to preach, as it were, his own fu- 
neral sermon. 

The violence of his disease deprived him of the exercise of his 
reason, through the most of his sickness. Had it been otherwise, 
his friends and the publick would, in all probability, have been gra- 
tified with an additional evidence of the transcendent excellence of 
the Christian religion, in supporting the soul in the near prospect of 
death and eternity. But he had preached still more emphatically 
by his life ; and even in his delirium he manifested what were the 
objects which chiefly occupied his mind. His faultering tongue was 
continually uttering some expedient, to promote the prosperity of the 
church of Christ and the good of mankind. 

The death of President Davies was no ordinary instance of mor- 
tality. It was generally and justly lamented, as causing a loss, 
almost irreparable, not only to a distressed family, and a bereaved 
college, but to the christian ministry, the church, the republick of 
letters, the community at large ; in a word, to all the most valuable 
interests of mankind. It was, therefore, to be expected that it 
would, as it did, attract much publick notice. An affectionate tribute 
of respect was paid to his memory, talents and virtues, by Dr. Fin- 
ley, his successor; in a sermon preached on the occasion, from Rom. 
XIV. 7, 8. and printed at the request and expense of the trustees of 
the college. The Rev. David Bostwick, minister of the Presbyterian 
congregation in New- York, the dear and intimate friend of Mr. Da- 
vies, had been entrusted by him with the printing of the sermon on 
the death of King George the second ; the preparation, preaching 
and transcription of which had probably hastened the death of its 
author — Mr. Bostwick accompanied the publication of the sermon 
with a preface, in which the talents, piety and usefulness of Mr. Da- 
vies, were exhibited, and eulogized with great warmth. Dr. Gib- 



* Doctor Withcrspoon was in the practice of preaching on New-Year's day : And 
the writer remembers to have heard him tell, that it had been remarked to him 

that he avoided this text ; and that his reply was, that he avoided it, not because he 
feared that preaching on it would prove tin- precursor of his deaih, but because he 
considered it, in its connexion, as not aflbrdbg a fit subject for the occasion. 



NOTES. 355 

bons, of London, to whom his manuscript sermons were entrusted 
for publication, and who had been for several years his correspon- 
dent, preached a funeral sermon, which he published with that of 
Dr. Finley, in the beginning of the first volume of the sermons, of his 
deceased friend. Nor has the lively recollection of his worth yet be* 
come extinct, especially in Virginia. Dr. Rice, the editor of " The 
Virginia Evangelical and Literary Magazine," has lately published 
" Memoirs of Mr. Davies," from which the present writer has bor- 
rowed a large part of the foregoing statement ; and to those memoirs 
he with pleasure refers his readers, for the fullest and best account, 
of this excellent man which he has any where found. 

It is to be regretted that a complete edition of the printed works of 
President Davies, has not yet been published. Dr. Rice notices one or 
two important omissions ; and to these should be added a very elo- 
quent and interesting " Valedictory address to the senior class ; de- 
livered in Nassau-Hall, September 21st, 1760, the Sunday before the 
commencement ;" which the writer has never seen, but in the pam- 
phlet form in which it was first printed. 

The collection of sermons, in three volumes octavo, published by 
Doctor Gibbons, has passed through very numerous editions, both 
in Britain and in this country. The edition possessed by the writer 
is the ninth ; and it was published thirty years ago. Probably, in- 
deed, there are no sermons in the English language which have been 
more read, or for which there has been so steady and unceasing a 
demand, for more than half a century past. Yet these sermons were 
almost wholly posthumous in their publication. They certainly are 
not distinguished by that minute accuracy of language, or those terse 
periods, which many later compositions of the same kind possess. 
Nor can they, in all their parts, be vindicated from the charge of 
something that appears loose, tumid and declamatory. The general 
run of the sentences, however, is harmonious : and they every where 
contain so much just thinking, such powerful reasoning, such pun- 
gent addresses to the conscience and the heart, with such an unction 
of piety and such a popularity of manner, as may well account for 
the favourable reception they have met with. The reader soon 
ceases to attend to any thing but the subject discussed, and is carried 
delightfully along, by the powerful charm of genius and piety in hap- 
py union. 

President Davies was not more than fourteen years in publick life ; 
for he probably began to preach in his twenty-third year, and died a 
little after he had completed his thirty-sixth. And when it is con- 
sidered how imperfect was his early education, how numerous were 
the difficulties with which he always had to contend, and yet to 

Z2 



354 NOTES. 

what eminence he rose, and what extensive and lasting good he 
effected, where shall we find an individual whose talents, or whose 
holy zeal and fidelity, we shall have greater reason to admire ? That 
he possessed the advantage of superior genius there can be no ques- 
tion. But let it not be forgotten, that he was as much distinguished 
by laborious and incessant application to study, as by the facility 
with which he made his attainments. He dreaded to preach, if he 
could avoid it, without careful preparation. His intimate friend, Dr. 
Rodgers, told the writer, that when pressed to speak extemporane- 
ously, he sometimes replied — " It is a dreadful thing to talk nonsense 
in the name of the Lord." Nor was he one of those who boasted 
how easily and rapidly his sermons were composed. He is known 
to have declared, that " every discourse of his, which he thought 
worthy of the name of a sermon, cost him four days hard study, in 
the preparation." It was by this combination of talent and diligence, 
that he became, probably, the most eloquent and accomplished pulpit 
orator that our country has ever produced ; and what was infinitely 
more important and desirable, was more successful in winning souls 
to Christ, than almost any other individual of the day in which he 
lived : — for his sermons have been benefiting thousands, and tens of 
thousands, since his death ; and are likely to do so, while the lan- 
guage in which they are written shall be in use. Let those who 
aspire to extensive usefulness, take the course which he took, if they 
hope to arrive at the goal which he reached. 

Of the family left by President Davies, the writer is able to give 
but little information. The funeral sermon preached by Dr. Finley, 
is dedicated " To Mrs. Martha Davies the mother, and Mrs. Jean 
Davies, the widow of the late Rev. President Davies." Of his wi- 
dow, it is only known that she returned to her friends in Virginia, 
and remained there till her death. His eldest son, Col. William Da- 
vies, was educated at Nassau-Hall, and graduated in 1765. He 
studied the law, and settled at Norfolk, in Virginia. In the revolu- 
tionary war he obtained the rank of a Colonel, in the American ar- 
my ; was an officer of distinguished merit, and possessed, in an emi- 
nent degree, the esteem and confidence of the commander-in-chief, 
the illustrious Washington. He was well known to the writer, and 
Was unquestionably a man of powerful mind, highly cultivated and 
enriched by various knowledge. He died in Virginia, a few years 
since, and is believed to have left one daughter, as his only issue. 
John Rodgers Davies, was also educated at Nassau-Hall, and gradu- 
ated in 1769. He likewise studied the law, and is supposed to be still 
living in Virginia, in the county of Sussex. Samuel Davies, the 
third son, was settled in Petersburg!!, and died there, several years 



NOTES. 355 

since. An only daughter of President Davies, never married, is sup* 
posed to be still living. It is also believed that two or three of his 
grand children, beside the daughter of his eldest son, are still in life. 
His mother, Mrs. Martha Davies, made a part of the President's 
family, at the time of his death. The writer has been well informed, 
that when the corpse of her son was laid in the coffin, she stood over 
it, in the presence of a number of friends for some minutes, viewing 
it attentively, and then said — " There is the son of my prayers and 
my hopes — my only son — my only earthly support. But there is the 
will of God, and lam satisfied!" This eminent saint was received 
into the family of the Rev. Dr. Rodgers, of New- York, and by him 
was treated with the utmost kindness and veneration, till the time of 
her death. 

The monumental inscription, already referred to, is as follows-— 

Sub Hoc Marmore sepulchrali 

Mortales Exuviae 

Reverendi perquam Viri, 

SAMUELIS DAVIES, A. M. 

Coilegii Nov-Caesariensis Przesidis, 

Futurum Domini Adventum prsestolantur. 

Ne te, Viator, ut pauca de tanto 

Tamque dilecto Viro resciscas, 

Paulisper morari pigeat. 

Natus est in Comitatu de Newcastle, juxta Delaware, 

III Novembris, Anno Salutis reparata;, 

MDCCXXIV. S. V. 

Sacris ibidem initiatus, XIX Februarii, 

MDCCXLVII, 

Tutelam pastoralem Ecclesiae 

In Comitatu de Hanover, Virginiensium, suseepit; 

Ibi per XI plus minus Annos, 

Ministri evangelici Laborious 

Indefesse, et favente Numine, auspicato perfunctus. 

Ad Munus Prscsidiale Coilegii Nov-C*esariensis gerendum 

Vocatus est, et mauguratus, XXVI Julii, 

MDCCLIX S, N. 

Sed, proh Rerum inane ! intra Biennium, Febre correptus, 

Candidam Animam Ccelo reddidit, IV Februarii, MDCCLXI. 

Heu quam exiguum Yitse Curriculum ! 

Corpore fuit eximio ; Gestu liberali, placido, augusto. 

Ingenii Nitore, 

Morum Integritate, Munificentia, Facilitate, 




356 NOTES. 

Inter paucos illustris. 

Rei literarise peritus ; Theologus promptus, perspicax. 

In Rostris, per Eloquium blandum, mellitum, 

Vehemens simul, et perstringens, nulli secundus. 

Scriptor ornatus, sublimis, disertus. 

Prsesertim vero Pietate, 

Ardente in Deum Zelo et Religione spectandus. 

In tanti Viri, majora meriti, 

Memoriam duraturam, 

Amici hoc qualecunque monumentum, 

Honoris ergo et Gratitudinis, posuere. 

AM, Viator, ei semulare. 

DOCTOR FINLEY'S ADMINISTRATION, 

From June 1st, 1761, to July 19th, 1766. 

The board of trustees did not meet, after the death of President 
Davies, in February, till the month of May following — In the interval 
the college appears to have remained under the care of the tutors ; 
who, at this time, were eminently qualified for their station. The fol- 
lowing extracts from the minutes of the board, and the remarks con- 
nected with them, with the statement which will be found in the 
extracts from Dr. Finley's history, and the subjoined account of a re- 
vival of religion, will give a full view of the state of the institution 
during the period now under consideration. 

" At a meeting of the trustees of the College of New- Jersey, at 
Nassau-Hall, on Thursday the 20th day of May, 1761 — A quorum 
of the trustees, not having convened, express messengers were des- 
patched to several of the absent members ; and on Monday morning 
June 1st, 1761, being called over, the following members appeared, 
viz. Messrs. William P. Smith, Samuel Woodruff, John Pierson, Gil- 
bert Tennent, William Tennent, Caleb Smith, Jacob Green, John 
Brainerd, Samuel Finley, Elihu Spencer, Charles M 'Knight, John 
Light, and Richard Stockton. — The clerk certified that he had giv- 
en due notice of the present Meeting to each of the members. 

It having pleased a sovereign God, since our last meeting, to re- 
move by death the late Reverend and ingenious Mr. Davies, Presi- 
dent of the College, the trustees proceeded to the election of a Pre- 
sident; whereupon the Rev. Mr. Samuel Finley, of Nottingham, 
in the province of Pennsylvania, was unanimously chosen President 
of the College, in the room of the Rev. Mr. Davies; and the Rev. 
Mr. Finley, being informed of the above election, was pleased mod- 
estly to accept the same-— W T hereupon Mr. Treat, one of the mem- 




; 



NOTES. 357 

bers of this board, is desired to attend the next meeting of the Pres- 
bytery to which the Rev, Mr. Finley belongs, to request that he 
may be liberated from his present pastoral charge. 

It is ordered that Mr. Finley's salary, as President of the College, 
be the sum of £200 proc. per annum, with the usual privileges and 
perquisites; and that the expense of moving the Rev. Mr. Finley's 
family to this place, be paid by the Treasurer. 

At a meeting of the trustees of the College of New-Jersey, at 
Nassau-Hall, on Wednesday the 30th day of September, A. D. 1761 
— The Rev. Mr. Finley, President elect of this College, having been 
pleased to accept of the presidentship, was qualified as the charter 
directs, and took his seat accordingly. 

Voted, That the Treasurer of the College pay President Finley, 
the sum of £22 11, it being the expense of his removal to the Col- 
lege — Voted, that President Finley's salary begin from the third 
Wednesday in June last ; it being the time ox his dismission from his 
people at Nottingham. 

Ordered, That Mr. Stockton, the Clerk, be desired to return the 
thanks of this board to the gentlemen in Philadelphia, who have 
generously undertaken the management of the Lottery, now on foot 
in favour of the College." It is not believed that there was any leg- 
islative act of the colony of Pennsylvania, authorizing this Lottery. 
The probability is, that, at this time, lotteries in that colony, were 
not forbidden by law ; so that they might be made and drawn with- 
out legislative sanction. This was not the case in New-Jersey, and 
in some of the other colonies. 

" Ordered, That all monies arising from the Lottery, made in 
Philadelphia, for the benefit of the College, be deposited in the hands 
of Mr. Sergeant, the treasurer, as soon as possible ; and that the mo- 
nies be by him immediately put out to interest, as soon as opportuni- 
ties present — Ordered, that Mr. Parker, be desired to print the num- 
bers of the prizes in the Philadelphia Lottery, for the benefit of the 
New-Jersey College, in his Thursday paper ; and that he be paid 
for the same by the Treasurer of the College. 

Voted, That President Finley, be desired to print his sermon 
reached at the funeral of Mr. Davies, at the expense of the Col- 
lege, and that the copies be disposed of for the benefit of the institu- 
tion. 

At a meeting of the trustees of the College of New- Jersey, at 
Nassau-Hall, on Wednesday the 29th day of September, A. D. 1762. 

His Excellency Josiah Hardy, Esq. Governour of this province. 
having been pleased to attend the present meeting, was qualified as 
the charter directs, and took his seat accordingly. 



358 NOTES. 

Voted, That in consideration of Mr. Halsey's extraordinary ser- 
vices the last year, he be paid the sum of fifteen pounds ; and that 
fifteen pounds per annum be added to his present salary. 

Voted, That the salary of the President of this College, for the 
time being, be from henceforth the sum of two hundred and fifty 
pounds proclamation money per annum, with the profits of the 
Grammar School ; and that he have the same privilege of educating 
his sons at the College as was, in such case, given to the late Presi- 
dent Davies ; and that the President be paid his salary half yearly. 

Voted, That the determination of the ten trustees, expressed in a 
paper signed by them, and dated April 1762, respecting the gift of a 
Lot of Land, for the erecting of the Church now in building, be con- 
firmed." 

Till this time there had been no house for publick worship in the 
village of Princeton. Worship was celebrated in the college chapel, 
the inhabitants of the village and vicinity met with the students, and 
as we have seen paid something for pew rent. The publick exerci- 
ses of commencement were also performed in the chapel. Better 
accommodations for a numerous assembly were much needed, both 
by the college and the village. At this time it appears that a lot of 
land belonging to the corporation of the college was given to the in- 
habitants of Princeton and its neighbourhood, for the purpose of 
erecting a church. 

" Voted, That Messrs President Finley,Wm. Tennent, M'Knight, 
the Treasurer and the Clerk, or any three of them, be a committee 
to erect a Kitchen, for the use of the college, in such place and man- 
ner as they think most convenient." The college edifice and the 
President's house, were, till this time, the only buildings erected on 
the grounds belonging to the institution. Some part of the main edi- 
fice had hitherto been used for culinary purposes. But a convenient 
house was now built, at the east end of the principal structure, which 
was used as a Kitchen, till the refectory was erected, after the burn- 
ing of the main edifice, in 1802 — The former Kitchen, somewhat en- 
larged and considerably altered, has been used, both before and 
since, as a Dwellinp;-house for the Steward. 

" It is ordered that the President of the College, Doct. Harris and 
the Clerk, be a committee, to draw up and present the thanks of this 
board to the several branches of the Legislature of this province, for 
their having passed a law, enabling the trustees to erect a Lottery 
for the benefit of the College." Till this time, fourteen years after 
the founding of the college, it had never received a legislative favour 
in the colony of New-Jersey. We have seen that it had been pa- 
tronized both in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Whether this ope- 



NOTES. 359 

fated as a stimulus, at last, on the legislature of the colony in which 
the college was situated, or whether some other motive had influ- 
ence at this time, is unknown to the writer. Permission to make a 
Lottery for the benefit of the institution was now granted. The sum 
to be raised was £3000 proclamation money. This sum, however, 
we shall see, was not fully realized. " Messrs Ezekiel Forman, Jon- 
athan Sergeant, James Hude, jun. Moore Furman, William Thomp- 
son, Jonathan Baldwin, Joseph Woodruff, and Robert Ogden, are de- 
sired to be Managers of the Lottery, which the legislature of this 
province have been pleased to pass an act for, and that, if it be ne- 
cessary, the President of the College, Dr. Harris and the Clerk, be 
a committee to make any alteration in the number or persons of the 
managers they may think convenient. 

At a meeting of the trustees of the College of New- Jersey, at Nas- 
sau-Hall, on Wednesday the 28th day of September, A. D. 1763 — 
His Excellency Governor Franklin, having been pleased to attend 
this meeting, was qualified as the charter directs. 

It is ordered that Mr. William P. Smith, Mr. Woodruff, Dr. Red- 
man, Mr. Treat and Mr. Brainerd, be a committee, to settle with 
the congregation of Princeton, the matter respecting the lot of land. 
which this board heretofore has ordered to be conveyed to them, for 
the erection of a church, and for a burying ground ; and that the 
committee have full power to offer the congregation such terms as 
they think proper, in consideration of their releasing their claim to 
the lot of land; and to make such other agreement with the congre- 
gation, touching the premises, as the committee shall judge proper." 
It appears from this minute, that the lot of land, granted by the trus- 
tees to the congregation of Princeton, for the erection of a church, 
and for a burial ground, was at this time expected to revert to the 
college. This, however, did not take place. The transactions be- 
tween the trustees of the college and the congregation of Princeton, 
relative to this concern, were numerous and of long continuance. A 
particular detail of them will not be given. The result was, that in 
1762 and 1763, a church was built on the lot originally given by the 
college ; that the trustees of the college lent about £700 to the con- 
gregation, to aid in building the church ; that a burial ground was 
obtained in another place, as a donation from Dr. Thomas Wiggins ; 
that the money loaned to the congregation was eventually paid ; that 
the inside of the church, as well as of the college edifice, was des- 
troyed by the British and American armies, during the revolutiona- 
ry war, and repaired at a very considerable expense; that the 
church was entirely consumed, except the walls, which were of 
brick, by a fire which took place by accident, in February, 1813; 



360 NOTES. 

that it was rebuilt at the expense of the congregation, with the aid 
of $500, contributed by the college ; that the college has, by con- 
tract, an exclusive right to the church on the day of commencement, 
on the evening that precedes it, and at such other times as the facul- 
ty shall state in writing, that it is needed for the publick exercises 
of the institution ; and also a claim to one half of the gallery, for the 
use of the students, on the sabbath. 

" Dr. Redman, having informed this board that a piece of ground, 
adjoining the college, now belonging to Mr. Robert Smith, of Phila- 
delphia, is to be sold, it is agreed, that the same be purchased for 
the use of this corporation; and it is desired that Dr. Redman, a 
member of this board, do immediately agree with Mr. Smith, and 
have a proper deed executed for the same ; and the clerk is hereby 
directed to sign an order on one of the managers of the lottery lately 
drawn in Philadelphia, who may have cash in hand, for the purchase 
money. 

It is ordered, that the salary of the President of the college, be the 
sum of £300 per annum, and that the salary of the present senior 
Tutor be £75, and those of the two junior Tutors be the sum of £65 
per annum — It is ordered that an English school be forthwith erec- 
ted in this college, which is to be under the inspection and govern- 
ment of the President of the college, for the time being. 

At a meeting of the trustees of the College of New-Jersey, at Nas- 
sau-Hall, in. Princeton, on Wednesday the 20th day of June, A. D. 
1754. 

The minutes of the last meeting were read ; and it appears to the 
board that a quorum of the trustees not having met last April, accord- 
ing to an order made in September last, six of the trustees appointed 
a meeting on this day, agreeable to the direction of the charter in 
such a case. 

The President of the college informed the board that he has erec- 
ted an English school in the college, and employed a master for that 
purpose ; of which this board approves, and desires the Pesident to 
carry on the same, in such manner, as he shall think most advanta- 
geous to the college. 

It appearing that there is a very large sum of money due to the 
Steward, from several persons who have been educated at this col- 
lege, and all the orders of this board, which have been hitherto 
made, have been ineffectual for the recovery of the same, it is now 
ordered, that every student of the college shall hereafter pay off, 
and discharge his several debts to the Steward, and other collegiate 
officers, at the end of every fall vacation, or in default thereof, shall 
be dismissed the college ; unless sufficient security be given to the 



NOTES. 361 

Steward of the college, that the same shall be fully discharged in six 
weeks ; and it is further ordered, that every student who shall not 
produce to the President of the college a certificate from the Stew- 
ard, that all his arrears are paid off and discharged, two days before 
the commencement, such student shall have his name struck out of 
the printed Thesis and Catalogue, and shall not be admitted to per- 
form any of the commencement exercises, or receive a degree." 
This minute will serve to show with what difficulty the dues of the 
students were collected, at the time the minute was made ; and the 
apparently harsh measures to which the trustees were obliged to 
resort, to prevent the loss of almost the only revenue on which they 
could calculate to pay the salaries of their officers. Nor did these 
measures, nor any other that they could devise, prove effectual ; till 
they resolved on that which is now in operation, namely, that every 
student shall pay, in advance, the whole charges of each session — 
the treasurer to refund equitably, if the student leaves the college 
before the end of the session. 

" At a meeting of the trustees of the college of New- Jersey, in 
Nassau-Hall, at Princeton, on Wednesday the 25th day of Septem- 
ber, A. D. 1765. 

The President of the college represented to this board, sundry in- 
conveniences arising from the English school being kept in the col- 
lege ; therefore the trustees request, that the President will please 
to carry on the same school, in some convenient place out of the col- 
lege, in such manner as he shall think proper. 

It is ordered, that Mr. Stockton and Mr. Berrien give directions 
for the digging another well, contiguous to the college, in case of 
fire ; and draw upon the treasurer for the expense thereof." An 
additional well has since been dug, for the particular use of the Stew- 
ard ; but to which ready access may be had, not only in case of fire, 
but for the general accommodation of the institution. 

It is ordered by this board, that hereafter no other articles what- 
soever be kept in the buttery and sold to the students, save only 
bread, butter, candles and small beer." For many years past there 
has been no buttery connected with the college establishment. It 
has been the prevalent opinion, in the board of trustees, that a butte- 
ry would be rather injurious than beneficial to the institution. 

It is ordered, that the Steward take the entire care of the bellfry, 
and appoint one of the servants constantly to ring the bell, for which 
he is to be allowed five pounds per annum ; that he keep the door oi; 
the Cupola constantly locked, and provide ropes and all things neces- 
sary, at the expense of this board ; and it is further ordered that the 
bellman shall not deliver the key to any person eKcept the President, 

A3 



362 NOTES. 

tutors or steward." It was considered of great importance to pre- 
vent effectually an entrance to the bellfry, except in the presence of 
the officers of the college. Experience has shown the wisdom of this 
measure. Free access to the Cupola of the college, was probably 
the cause of its being burned in 1802; as it was in this part of the 
structure that the fire commenced. 

" Whereas the quorum of the trustees of this college consists of a 
large number, and it is found very difficult to convene a sufficient 
number to transact the business of the corporation ; it is therefore, 
ordered, that for the future, every trustee who shall absent himself, 
for three years, from the meetings of the said trustees, and shall not. 
send to the board such reasons of his non-attendance as shall be sus- 
tained, that in such case, his seat shall be judged vacant, and a new 
member be elected in his stead." 

The difficulty of obtaining a quorum of the board of trustees, at 
the times appointed for their meetings, was, in the early periods of 
the college, great and highly embarrassing. This rule had a good 
effect — It has since been made mOre rigorous. An absence from 
three successive stated meetings, or for a year and a half, now pro- 
duces a forfeiture of a seat at the board. 

" It is ordered, for the future, that every student and graduate 
(the officers of college excepted) who makes use of the publick libra- 
ry, shall pay to the steward the sum of two shillings and six pence, 
every quarter of a year, to be expended for the use of the library'. 

It is ordered that no student of the college shall be allowed to have 
the key of the library ; but that every person who is admitted there 
shall be introduced by one of the officers of the college. 

It is ordered, that an addition of one hundred pounds per annum, 
be made to the present salary of the President of the college. 

Mr. Ogden is requested to get sixty-two good leather fire buckets, 
■and transmit them to the college as soon as possible ; and it is ordered 
that the same, with those already here, be carefully deposited and 
locked up in the Engine-house." An excellent fire engine had, before 
this, been procured by the college, and a house erected for its pre- 
servation, which was now made the place of deposite for the fire 
buckets. The preparations for extinguishing fire are, at present, 
more extensive and complete than they were, at the time to which, 
the above minute refers. 

" At a meeting of the trustees of the college of New^Jersey, at 
Nassau-Hall, in Princeton, on Wednesday the 25th day of June, A, 
D. 1766. 

The minutes of the last meeting were read, and it appears to the 
board, that a quorum of the trustees not having met last November, 



NOTES. S6S 

according to an order made in September last ; six of the trustees 
appointed a meeting on this day, agreeable to the direction of the 
charter in such a case. 

Whereas the trustees have received, by the hands of Dr. Redman, 
a. certain order for one hundred pounds sterling, for the use of this 
college, in support of a divinity-professor, drawn by Mr. John Wil- 
liamson, of Hanover, in Virginia, on Mr. Samuel Waterman, mer- 
chant, in London ; it is ordered, that the said order be immediately 
transmitted to Mr. Stockton, now at New- York, and bound for Lon- 
don; impowering the said Mr. Stockton, under the seal of this col- 
lege, to present the said order and receive the cash. — And Dr. Red- 
man is also farther desired to return the thanks of this board to said 
Mr. Williamson, for his generous donation, and to request duplicates 
of his order, in case of the miscarriage of the one he has sent." This 
is the first sum which is mentioned in the records of the college, as 
having been appropriated to the founding of a professorship of The- 
ology. The President of the college, till the establishment of the 
Theological Seminary in Princeton, had commonly the conducting 
of the theological studies of such graduates as chose to pursue, 
those studies at the college. A professor of Theology, however, the 
Rev. John Blair, was appointed, about a year after the above minute 
was made ; and continued in office till the accession of Dr. Wither- 
spoon to the Presidency ; at which time Mr. Blair resigned, and the 
professorship was formally conferred on Dr. Witherspoon, in connex- 
ion with the presidency. . 

It being moved, that an address be drawn up and presented to his 
Majesty, on his late gracious condescension to these colonies in the 
repeal of the stamp act ; and also that a petition be at the same time 
presented, for the grant of sixty thousand acres of the land, lately 
added to the province of New- York, from the territory of New- 
Hampshire, or elsewhere in said province : It is hereby ordered, 
that the honourable Mr. Justice Smith, the Rev. Messrs De Ronde 
and Rodgers, be a committee, for drawing up the said address and 
petition, in such manner as they shall judge proper; and that the 
same be signed with the name of Edwai'd Shippen, Esq, the present 
President of this board, and when finished, that the said papers be 
transmitted to Mr. Stockton, one of our members, in London, with a 
letter to him, praying him to take such measures, and to engage such 
friends of this institution in London, to be assisting to him in this 
affair, as he shall be advised by Dr. Chandler, will be most expedi- 
ent ; and the said committee are also desired, to transmit a letter, 
at the same time, to Dr. Chandler, in the name of this board, hum- 
bly requesting his advice and aid in the conduct and management of 



$64 NOTES. 

this affair." The address and petition ordered in this minute to be 
presented to the king, were prepared and forwarded to Mr. Stockton, 
then in London. On his return he made the following report — " Mr. 
Stockton acquainted the board that the papers which had been 
transmitted to him, while in England, by order of the trustees, came 
safe to his hands. That being introduced by one of the king's min- 
isters, he had the honour of presenting to his majesty the address of 
the trustees, on occasion of the repeal of the American Stamp Act, 
which was very graciously received. That the petition for a grant 
of lands was lodged in the plantation office ; and that my Lord Shel- 
burne, had promised him to lay the same before the king in council. 
The board then returned Mr. Stockton, their thanks for his services 
in behalf of this college, while he was in Great Britain." Nothing 
farther appears on the records, in regard to this petition for land. 
No land was granted ; and probably the petition was never heard of, 
after it was lodged in the plantation office. 

" The Rev. Mr. De Ronde, having laid before this board a plan for 
the introduction of a professor of divinity, to be obtained from Hol- 
land, for the service of the Dutch as well as English Presbyterian 
Churches in these parts ; the trustees, having maturely considered 
the same, are of opinion, that the proposal is not yet ripe for prose- 
cution, and therefore defer the farther consideration of it to the next 
meeting. 

Whereas frequent complaints have, been made to this board, that 
detriment does and is likely to accrue to this institution by means of 
the scholars boarding out of the college ; and it appearing, that a 
considerable number are now out, it is hereby ordered that all the 
students, who do now board out of the college, return, within ten 
days from this time, unless a note be obtained from some physician, 
certifying, that it is his opinion that the health of such student or 
students requires that he should board out of the college, nor even 
then, till after leave obtained from the President, or in his absence 
from the tutors. 

It is further ordered, that no student hereafter board out of the 
college without such certificate from a physician, and such leave 
from the President, or in his absence from the tutors, as is above- 
mentioned." The order here taken on this subject has, with some 
temporary variations, been that which has been observed till the 
present time. Students whose parents or guardians live in the town, 
or vicinity, reside with them — All others are required to board with 
the Steward, and to lodge in the edifice, except in case of sickness, 
when with the approbation of the President, they are permitted to 
go to private lodgings. 






NOTES. 365 

" As Dr. Finley, the President of this college, is now in a lanquish- 
ing state, and it is highly probable he will be removed by death be- 
fore the next commencement, or, at least, that he will be unable to 
preside at the public exercises on that occasion ; the trustees have 
unanimously appointed the Rev. Mr. Spencer, to preside on that 
day, and to confer the degrees in the usual manner ; and the said Mr. 
Spencer, was pleased to signify his acquiescence in this appoint- 
ment ; And the trustees do farther direct, that in case of the Presi- 
dent's death, the fees and perquisites, usually paid to the President, 
for the degrees, be received by the eldest tutor, to be disposed of as 
the trustees shall hereafter direct." 

Dr. Finley was at this time in the city of Philadelphia, whither 
he had repaired for the benefit of better medical attendance than he 
could obtain at Princeton. All efforts, however, were unavailing, to 
prolong his valuable life. 

"It having pleased an holy God, to visit Dr. Finley, the worthy 
President of this college, with great and distressing illness, whereby 
he is at present, entirely unable to perform the duties of his impor- 
tant station, and it appearing necessary, for the welfare of this insti- 
tution, that some person be invested with the power and authority of 
the President, in order the better to manage the affairs of the semi- 
nary ; this board have appointed the Rev Mr. Wm. Tennent, to act 
in the room and stead of President Finley, during his absence, and do 
hereby invest him with full power and authority to execute the 
said office, until next commencement; or during President Finley's 
absence and disability ; and Mr. Tennent was qualified accordingly." 
Dr. Finley died in Philadelphia, about three weeks after the meet- 
ing of the board at which this minute was made. Mr. Spencer, it 
appears, acted as President at the succeeding commencement ; and 
the government of the college was committed to Mr. William Ten- 
nent. 

The following minutes of the trustees were made at a meeting of 
the board, September 24th, 1765, after the death of Dr. Finley, and 
before the choice of his successor. 

" The gentlemen appointed at the last meeting to draw up an ad- 
dress to his majesty and a petition, 6cc. report that they have trans- 
acted that affair agreeable to said order, 

Dr. Redman having been appointed at the last meeting to trans- 
mit to Mr. Stockton a certain order, &c. it is reported that he has 
transacted that affair agreeable to said appointment. 

The proposal which the Rev. Mr. De Ronde, laid before the 
board, at the last meeting, relating to the introduction of a professor 
of divinity, is again deferred to further consideration, 



366 ftGTES. 

The trustees also considering the great and important services 
that have been rendered to this institution by Mr. Jeremiah Halsey, 
over and above the necessary duties of his office as a tutor of the 
college, do, in consideration of his said extraordinary and faithful 
services, unanimously agree, that the sum of sixty-one pounds, be- 
ing the graduation money, by calculation, now in his hands, be pre- 
sented to him, or whatever the fees may amount to, be the same 
more or less." 

Mr. Halsey held the office of tutor in college longer, it is believed, 
than any other individual. He was one of the best scholars that was 
ever educated in the institution. He was, at this time, a preacher of 
the gospel, was afterwards settled in the ministry, and for a number 
of years was a trustee of the college. 

(t Whereas sundry weighty and important reasons have induced 
this board to augment the late worthy President's salary, from time 
to time, to the sum of £400 ; but in as much as the occasion of the 
late necessary augmentation is removed, and the present low state of 
the college funds will not allow this board to continue that salary for 
the future, in its present circumstances ; it is agreed, therefore, that, 
the stated salary of the next President shall be £250, with the usual 
perquisites." 

Some extracts will now be given from the history of the college 
composed by Doct.Finley, and repeatedly referred to already. They 
have been selected with a view to show, in as summary a manner as 
possible, the method of discipline or government, at this period ; the 
course of study ; the style of living ; the expense of residence ; the 
patronage that had recently been obtained ; and the claims of the 
institution on the benevolence and liberality cf the publick. 

" In the exercise of discipline, the more usual process is this — The 
President or tutors, separately or in conjunction, privately reason 
with the offender, in order to make him sensible of his ill conduct ; 
and endeavour by their manner of address, to convince him, that in 
their proceedings against him, they are actuated from motives of 
sincere regard to his own welfare, and that their severity is not the 
efFect of moroseness, ill nature, or personal resentment. If the of- 
fence charged, be denied, evidences are adduced in proof of it. But 
if the youth discovers an ingenuous temper, by an open, frank ac- 
knowledgment, such a disposition is encouraged, by a mitigation of 
the punishment. On the other hand, all low and dishonest artifices, 
particularly lying and wilful equivocation, are resented as the high- 
est aggravations. In the result, if found guilty, according to the na- 
ture of the offence, he is dismissed, cither with a private reprimand, 
ar required to submit to a public formal admonition; or, to make ft 



NOTES. 36r 

penitent confession in the hall, before the whole house ; or deprived 
of some of the peculiar privileges of his class ; or, for some limited 
time, prohibited a free conversation with his fellow students, and 
admission into their chambers, as unworthy of their society ; or sus- 
pended from residence, and all the privileges of the college, until 
the matter belaid before a committee of six of the trustees. In these 
several kinds and degrees of punishment, an impartial regard is had 
not only to the nature of the offence, but also to the disposition, age, 
rank in college, habitual conduct, and other circumstances of the of- 
fender. Suspension is the highest censure the President and Tutors 
can inflict. The power of expulsion is invested in any six of the 
trustees convened ; who, having had no connection with the offender., 
cannot be suspected of prepossession or partiality. * * * * 

As to the branches of literature taught here, they are the same. 
with those which are made parts of education in the European col- 
leges, save only such, as may be occasioned by the infancy of this 
institution. The students are divided into four distinct classes. 
which are called the Freshman, the Sophomore, the Junior, and the 
Senior. In each of these they continue one year ; giving and re- 
ceiving, in their turns, those tokens of respect and subjection, which, 
belong to their standings ; in order to preserve a due subordination. 

On the third Wednesday in August annually, the Senior class are 
examined by the trustees, the college officers, and other gentlemen 
of learning then present, throughout all the branches of literature, 
they have been here taught. And if approved, as worthy of aca- 
demical honours, the President assigns them the parts, they are. 
respectively to perform at the annivei ary commencement ; the 
general proceedings of which, are so publickly known, as to super- 
cede all necessity of description. They are then graduated Bachelors 
of Arts. After an interval of three years, they are usually admit- 
ted to the Masters degree. But to this latter the terms of admission. 
for these few years past, have not been so lax and indeterminate as 
formerly. * * * * 

We come now to give some account of the manner together with 
the expenses of boarding. It is true, so minute a detail of the little 
affairs of a college, affords but a dry and unentertaining story : and 
a relation of the economy of a kitchen and dining room, would be 
still more low and vulgar. But as the judicious reader must be sen- 
sible, that a proper regulation of these matters, is of more conse- 
quence to such a community, than a thousand things that would 
make a more shining figure in description; it is presumed, that some 
account of them may be expected ; and that he will excuse the dul- 
ness of the narrative,, for the sake of the importance of the informa- 



368 NOTES, 

tion, to those especially who may incline to educate their sons at 
this college. 

It is the business of the steward to provide all necessaries for the 
use of the society, to employ cooks and other servants to cleanse the 
chambers, make the beds, &c. The tutors, and all the students, 
and sometimes the president, eat together in the dining-hall, always 
seated according to rank and seniority. No private meals are al- 
lowed in their chambers, except with express license, on special 
occasions. Tea and coffee are served up for breakfast. At dinner, 
they have, in turn, almost all the variety of fish and flesh the coun- 
try here affords ; and sometimes pies ; every dish of the same sort, 
and alike dressed, on one day ; but with as great difference, as to 
the kinds of provision and manner of cookery, on different days, as 
the market and other circumstances will admit. Indeed, no luxu- 
rious dainties, or costly delicacies, can be looked for among the vi- 
ands of a college, where health and economy are alone consulted in 
the furniture of the tables These, however, are plentifully suppli- 
ed, without weight or measure allowance : and the meals are con- 
ducted with regularity and decorum ; waiters being constantly in 
attendance. The general table drink is small beer or cider. For 
supper, milk only is the standing allowance, chocolate is sometimes 
served as a change. * * * • 

The annual charge of education, including tuition money, chamber 
rent, steward's salary, servants wages, washing, fire- wood, and can- 
dles, with contingencies, may amount, communibus annis, to about 
twenty-five pounds, six shillings, lawful money of New- Jersey ; for 
the market rises and falls; and on some of those articles, the expen- 
ses are arbitrary. Hence, frugality in the student, may sometimes, 
without meanness, reduce the accompt. The particulars, as they 
stand for the most part, in the steward's books, are here specified, 
and charged upon an average. 

Tuition money £400 



Boarding, steward's salary, and "£ ^ Q 



servants wages inclusive 







Chamber rent 10 

Washing 3 

Wood and candles 2 

Contingent charges 6 



£25 6 



Though this institution has succeeded beyond the expectation of 
its warmest friends, notwithstanding the severe shocks it received, 
by the death of three Presidents, in so quick succession ; and its un- 



NOTES. 369 

settled state, till the chair was filled ; yet it still labours under 
several deficiencies* which nothing but the beneficent hand of 
charity can relieve. With mathematical instruments, and an ap- 
paratus for experiments in natural philosophy, it is but very 
indifferently furnished. The library wants many of the most ap- 
proved modern writers, as hath been already hinted. It would be 
also of eminent service, had it revenues ample enough to support 
professors in some of the distinct branches of literature ; who 
might each make a figure in his own province, could his studies and 
instructions be confined to his peculiar department^ A professor of 
divinity, especially for the benefit of the theological students, would 
be of singular utility. At present, there are three tutors, besides 
the President. To those, the college fund, can as yet, afford but 
scanty livings ; the tutors particularly, unless they assume a vow 
of celibacy, are unable to continue in their offices for life. Hence it 
happens, that when a young gentleman has, by study and experi- 
ence, thoroughly qualified himself for the employment, he often 
resigns it ; and the trustees are then obliged to elect another, per- 
haps not equally fit for it. 

The fund, until within about a year past, hath not much exceed- 
ed £1300. But from a lottery, which was generously set on foot by 
a number of gentlemen in Philadelphia, in favour of the institution, 
it was increased to nearly £2800, the neat produce of the same, af- 
ter necessary charges, and losses which usually happen, besides 
what was disbursed to pay urgent debts, being about £1500. Ex- 
clusive of the annual support of officers, the expenses from other 
quarters are not inconsiderable ; nay do yearly increase, as the num- 
ber of students increases. * * * * 

Indeed from the countenance of the General Assembly of this 
Province, in passing an act for a lottery of three thousand pounds, 
for the benefit of this college, some good addition will probably be 
made to its revenues. But the returns of this lottery, which was 
lately drawn, are not yet made ; the accompts being still unsettled. 
However, much, much greater losses have accrued therein, than 
might have been reasonably expected ; especially from the very 
unfortunate issue of the tickets left, on the risque of the college, at 
the time of drawing. So that the managers have reason to think, 
that, on the close of their books, the clear profits will not much ex- 
ceed £2200. Such an accession can only enable the trustees to 
make some addition, perhaps to the annual allowances of the college 
officers ; though not such as will be sufficient to retain them for life, 
in the character of professors, much less to maintain a greater num- 
ljer. # 4£ # 3£ 

B 3 



37t> NOTES. 

' ' Not long since, a very generous legacy was ordered in 



the -will of the late colonel Alford, of Charles-Town, in Massachu- 
setts-Bay : The sum designed for this college, is not yet precisely 
ascertained, that being left to the discretion of his executors : It is 
presumed however, from good intelligence, that the appropriation 
here will not be less in value than £500 sterling. Benefactions of 
this sort are peculiarly honourable — an indubitable indication of a 
warm regard for the interests of learning, and of the testator's high 
sense of the utility of this seat of education in particular. No ac- 
tions of a man's life are more memorable, than his deeds of liberali- 
ty, before the hour of death ; when chiefly he considers, what dis- 
tribution of the gifts of heaven may be most agreeable to the will of 
his divine benefactor. May providence excite an emulation in the 
breasts of others, among the virtuous and opulent, to follow an ex- 
ample of such laudable and christian benevolence : A benevolence, 
Which will extend its influence to remote posterity, and advance the 
genuine felicity of their country, when they are received into ever- 
lasting habitations, and are triumphing in the enjoyment of a glori- 
ous recompense of reward. 

Thus is exhibited a faithful account of the origin and present state 
of the college of New- Jersey : A college originally designed for the 
promotion of the general interests of Christianity, as well as the cul- 
tivation of human science. This end, therefore is kept in view, in 
all the instructions and modes of discipline.' To inculcate or even 
recommend the discriminating opinions of any one protestant denom- 
ination, in preference to another, is carefully avoided. In these 
matters, the students are left without any bias offered to their pri- 
vate judgments, and are always allowed, without restraint, to attend 
the religious worship of any protestant society, whenever they have 
opportunity. 

Upon the whole, it is presumed it must appear manifest upon re- 
flection, to every serious observer, that providence hath, in a pecu- 
liar manner, superintended the affairs of this nursery, from its foun- 
dation to the present time. And indeed, it is esteemed by its 
directors their highest honour and happiness, that the Almighty 
hath vouchsafed so remarkably to countenance and succeed their 
undertaking, and thereby to encourage their humble expectations 
of his continued benediction. To the singular favour of Heaven on 
the means of instruction here used, it must be gratefully ascribed, 
that many youth who have come to Nassau-Hall for education, 
without any just sense of the obligations either of natural or revealed 
religion, have been here effectually reformed, become men of solid 
and rational piety, and now appear upon the stage of public action^ 



NOTES. 371 

employing their talents to the honour of the Supreme Bestower, in 
promoting the good of mankind. Hence the managers of this semi- 
nary are emboldened to hope, that while the original design of its 
establishment is steadily pursued, the same indulgent providence 
-which hath hitherto supported it, amidst the reproaches of envy, 
and the oppositions of malice, will still raise up benefactors to sup- 
ply its deficiencies, and succeed their disinterested endeavours, to 
train up our youth in the paths of piety and erudition, for the future 
service of their country, in any civil or ecclesiastical employ- 
ments." 

In connexion with these extracts from Dr. Finley's history of the 
college, its alumni, and others who take an interest in the literature of 
our country, will, it is believed, be gratified with the perusal of what 
may not improperly be regarded as a history of a Commencement ', 
during the Doctor's administration. For the manuscript copy of 
this literary curiosity, the writer is indebted to the late Doctor Ebe- 
nezer Finley, of Charleston, South-Carolina. About five years 
since, when that gentleman, then the only surviving son of President 
Finley, had two sons of his own at the college, he sent this manu- 
script, in the hand writing of his father, to the author of this note, 
with a request that it might be deposited among the archieves of the 
institution. His request has been carefully complied with ; but the 
preservation of ancient documents is best insured by the multiplica- 
tion of copies, through the medium of the press. For this reason, as 
w r ell as others, it has been determined to publish the following 
" process.'* It is scarcely necessary to remark, that each exercise 
announced by the President, must be supposed to have been 
performed, before the attention of the audience was called to that 
which immediately follows. The names of some of the speakers, 
for what reason is not known, are omitted. 

THE 
PROCESS OF THE 

PUBLICK COMMENCEMENT 

IN 

NASSAU-HALL ; 

SEPTEMBER, 

A. D. 1764, 



THE PROCESS, &c. 

The trustees being at the President's house, the candidates stand- 
ing at the door, two and two, upon his saying-* 



372 NOTES. 

Progredimini Juvenes, 

They walk— 

1. The Bachelor candidates. 

2. The Masters. 

3. The Tutors, and any Ministers present. 

4. The Trustees. 

5. The President — the Governor at his right hand. 
All seated — Prayer succeeds. 

Pracses (capite tecto) — 
" Auditores doGti ac benevoli, Juvenes primam Lauream ambien- 
" tes, cupiunt vos per Oratorem salutare ; quod illis a vobis conces- 
" gum fidunt." 

Ascendat Orator salutatorius. 

Distribuantur Theses. 



Quoniam, docti Auditores, accurata disputandi Ratio ad verum a 
falso seceraendum plurimum valet, Juvenes artibus initiati, parvula 
qusedam eorum in ea Specimina, vobis jam sunt exhibituri. 
Prima Disputatio, syllogistice tractanda — 

Thesis est, 
Mentiri, ut vel Natio conservetur, haud fas est. 
Qui hanc Thesin probare atque defendere statuit, ascendat. 

Foster. 
Qui Thesin oppugnari judicavit, ascendat. 

Primus Opponens— Lawrence. 

Quanquam concederetur Sermonem ad felicitatem hominum prq- 
vehendam constitutum fuisse, attamen non seque nobis constat quid 
semper ad eum finem conducit ; sed magis credendum est Menda- 
cium nunquam ad eum facere ; dum Exemplum Virtutis omnibus 
prodesse potest. 

2 dus Opponens — Smith. 
Determinatio. 
Mentiri, quacunque de causa, ignobile et sua Natura pravum 
esse, res ipsa clamat, et ferme ab omnibus, prxcipue Virtutem col- 
entibus, conceditur. Quod si omnino fas esse possit, Deus compro- 
bat ; et si ille possit probare, non est necessario verax ; sed impos*- 
sibile est eum mentiri, ergo et mendacium probare. 



NOTES. 373 

Nee ratio Veritatis ab hominum Felicitate, sed Dei Rectitudine 
pendet : et quoniam sibi semper constare necesse est, non potest non 
esse rectus. Ergo falsum necessario improbat, ut ejus nature op- 
positum : et vetat Malum facere, ut quidvis Bonum inde sequatur, 
etiam ut Natio conservetur. 



The following is an English forensick Dispute, which for Reasons 
often mentioned, is introduced, viz — it entertains the English part 
of the Audience ; tends to the cultivation of our native Language, 
and has been agreeable on former occasions ; which I presume are 
sufficient apologies for continuing the custom. 
The Thesis is, 

Somnia non sunt universaliter inania, et nihil significantia. 
In English — - 

All dreams are not useless and insignificant. 

Who undertakes the defence of this position ? — Miller. 

Whoever has any objections against what has been offered, let 
him speak — Tredwell, 

Who judges it fit to answer these objections ? — McCrery. 
Determination. 

Although I see no necessity of accounting for all dreams from the 
Agency of other Spirits, any more than to interest them in the Rev- 
eries of the mind, when lost in mere imaginary Scenes while we are 
awake, without reflecting that they are not realities : Yet that for- 
eign Spirits have access to ours, as well when we are asleep as 
awake, is inconsistent with no Principle of Reason. And if some 
dreams cannot otherwise be accounted for, than by having recourse 
to foreign Spirits, we must then admit their agency ; since there can 
be no effect without a cause. And though it must be granted that 
our own Spirits at the same time think, yet there's no Inconsistency 
in supposing that other Spirits gave Occasion to their thinking of 
some Subjects rather than others, as is the Case in conversing to- 
gether when we are awake, 

What has been Matter of fact is certainly still possible : And we 
know that in some Cases infinite Wisdom chose to employ Angels 
to communicate divine Instructions in Dreams ; which establishes 
the general Doctrine. And Experience assures us that Impressions 
made on these Occasions, are very deep and lively : and as has been 
observed, those very Dreams that come from fulness of Business, or 
other Causes mentioned, show us the Temper of our Minds, and i% 
that View are useful and significant. 



Sr4 NOTES. 

To unbend the Mind by an agreeable Variety, as far as may con- 
sist with the Exercises of the Day, an English intermediate Oration 
is next to be delivered. 

Ascendat Orator intermedins. 



Thesis proxime discutienda, modo pene forensi, est, 
Lux Rationis sola, Incitamenta ad Virtutem satis efficacia, non 
prasbet. 

Qui hanc Thesin primus defendere statuit, procedat— — Wood- 

HULL. 

Qui primus opponit Thesi, procedat. 
Lawrence. 
Leake, 
Qui Objectiones refellere, et Thesin firmare suscipit, proce- 
dat. 

Determinatio. 
Recte notatum fuit, quod Naturam Peccati probe scire necessari- 
um est, ad Virtutem rite aestimandum. Peccato enim ignoto, odisse 
illud nequimus ; et sine Peccati odio, nulla datur Virtus. Et quoni- 
am clarum est, quod homines, Luce Naturae sola freti, ignorarunt 
quid sit virtus, et quales ejus Consequential in Seculo futuro ; nes- 
civerunt Deum, verse Virtutis Exemplar, nee non Amorem et Satis- 
factionem Domini Salvatoris, quae sola sunt Incitamenta ad Virtutem 
idonea ; Thesis Valet. 

The next Thesis is, 
Nullam veram Virtutem habet, qui omnes non habet. 

In English — 
He has not one true virtue, who has not every one. 
Who undertakes to defend this position? — Tuttle. 
If any think fit to oppose it, let him appear— Hazard. 
Who judges he can confute these arguments let him speak-— 
Clagget. 

Determination. 
That the Thesis is true, appears demonstrable both from the 
Simplicity of the Soul and the Nature of Virtue. As the Soul can- 
not be divided into any Parts, if one Vice is prevalent it possesses 
the Soul entirely, and the whole principle of action is vitiated. And 
as Virtue is a Disposition of Mind to whatever is morally good, and 
Goodness must be uniform, and of a piece, it can no more be dis- 
membered than the Soul ; therefore whatever mixture of vice there 
may be with virtue, one of them must necessarily predominate ; for 
seeing that they are perfectly opposite to each other, it is as impos- 



NOTES. 375 

sible for a Person to be under the governing power of both at once, 
as for Fire and Water to subsist together, without the one's being 
extinguished, or the other evaporated. 

Virtue consists in the Love of God and man, nor can it be separa- 
ted : the Pretence is not tolerable, that a Hater of his Brother 
should be a Lover of God. Now 'tis certain that one cannot love 
and hate the same thing at the same Time, and in the same Res- 
pect. There must then be such a necessary Connexion of all vir- 
tues, that one cannot possibly be without all : consequently a single 
virtue, where any vice prevails, is but a counterfeit. 

Exercitia qux restant ad tertiam Horam P. M. postponuntur. 

The remaining exercises of the Day begin at three o'clock af- 
ternoon. 



Orator hujus Classis valedictorius ascendat. 

Exercitia, qux a Candidatis secundi Gradus prsestanda sunt, jam 
^equuntur. 

Thesis disputanda haec est, scil : 

Jephtha Filiam non immolavit. 

Ascendat hujus Quasstionis Respondens- — Mr. Kerr. 

Ascendat primus qui hanc The sin veram esse negat, 
Determinatio. 

Fatendum est, quod in hac Qusestione docti in Partes abcunt. Sed 
ut Theseos Veritas appareat, con side randum est quod fuit Jephtha} 
Votum — " Qui — vel, quodcunque — exierit e foribus Domus mece, in 
" Occursum meum, erit Domini, et, vel, offeram illud in Holocaus- 
** turn." q. d. vel aptum erit ad Sacrificium, vel non : si prius„ 
erit in Holocaustum ; si non, erit Domino sacrum, devotum. Hebrsea; 
Voces non aliter necessario significant : nam Vau ssepe disjunctive 
sumitur, ut multis exemplis patet. Adde, quod Deus detestatus 
est humanas Victimas, et improbavit ; quod cum Sacerdotes saltern 
norunt, non verisimile est Jephtham eos in tanta causa non consu- 
luisse. Nee parvum habet momentum, Filiam ejus Spatium deflen- 
di, non Mortem sed Virginitatem, petiisse ; cum enim dicitur Jeph- 
tha fecisse quod voverat, sequitur, et non cognoverat Virum. 

Descendant Candidati Honores hujus Collegii ambientes. 
Ad Curatores. 

Juvenes, quos coram vobis, Curatores honorandi ac reverendi, 
jam sisto, publico Examini, secundum hujus Academic Leges, 
subjecti, habiti fuerunt omnino digni qui Honoribus academicis exor- 
narentur : Vobis igitur comprobantibus, illos ad Gradum petitura, 
toto Animo admittam, 



376 NOTES. 

Eadem Auctoritate regia, virum Davidem McGregor, Novang* 
lisc, de Religione et Literis bene meritum, ad secundum in Artibus 
Gradum, Honoris causa, admitto. 

Eadem Auctoritate, Reverendum Nathan Kerr, Davidem Cald- 
well, Concionatorem Evangelii, necessario absentem ; Reverendum 
Johannem Strain, hujus Collegii alumnos ; ad secundum in Artibus 
Gradum admitto. 

Hoc Anno etiam, 

Jacobus Thompson, A. M. Thomas Henderson, A. M. Johannes 
Lefferty, A. M. 

Forma constituendi A. B. 

Auctoritate, regio Diplomate mihi collata, pro More Academia- 
rum in Anglia, vos ad primum in artibus Gradum admitto ; vobisque 
hunc Librum trado, una cum Potestate in Artibus prselegendi et do- 
cendi, quotiescunque ad hoc munus evocati fueritis : Cujus, hoc 
Instrumentum, Sigillo nostri Collegii ratum, testimonium sit. 
Forma constituendi A. M. 

Auctoritate, regio Diplomate mihi collata, pro More Academia- 
rum in Anglia, vos ad secundum in Artibus Gradum admitto ; vo- 
bisque hunc Librum trado, una cum potestate in Artibus prselegen- 
di, publiceque profitendi ac docendi, quotiescunque ad hoc Munus 
evocati fueritis : cujus, hoc Instrumentum, Sigillo nostri Collegii ra- 
tum, Testimonium sit. 

In constituendo A. M. honorarios, inseratur hsec Clausula, scii— 
" ad secundum in Artibus Gradum, Honoris Causa, admitto. 

Orator magistralis valedictorius. 

Rev. McGregor. 

Rev. Nathan Kerr. 

Dialogue. 

Prayer. 

— ■»» 

It seldom happens that after the lapse of nearly sixty years a 
man is found who can speak of persons and things, from his perso- 
nal knowledge in mature life. One such fortunate occurrence, how- 
ever, the writer has met with. The Rev. Doctor John Woodhull, of 
Monmouth, in New-Jersey, at this time the oldest trustee of the col- 
lege, was the pupil of President Finley. He, on being requested, 
has furnished a short sketch of his venerated teacher ; and 
an account of the revival of religion which took place in the col- 
lege when he was a student. The communication is as follows — 
u Doctor Finley, was a man of small stature, and of a round and 






NOTES. Q77 

ruddy countenance. In the pulpit, he was always solemn and sen- 
sible, and sometimes glowing with fervour. His learning was very 
extensive — Every branch of study taught in the college appeared to 
be familiar to him. Among other things, he taught Latin, Greek 
and Hebrew, in the Senior year. He was highly respected, and 
greatly beloved by the students ; and had very little difficulty in 
governing the college. He died in my Senior year, in Philadelphia, 
of a complaint in the Liver ; and requested to be carried to the 
grave by some of the Senior class. This was accordingly done, and 
I was one of those who were the bearers of his corpse. 

" The number of students in college, at this time, was about one 
hundred. Thirty-one commenced in the class before mine, and the 
same number in the class to which I belonged. These were the 
largest classes that had commenced at that time. My class lost a 
good many from the time we entered Freshmen, to the time we com- 
menced — say 13 or 14 — yet none by expulsion. 

" When I was in college, it was said there were about Fifty boys in 
the school. We supposed there were about One Hundred and Fifty 
in all, in the edifice. The School was under the care of the trustees. 
Most of the boys boarded in college, and ate in the dining room, at a 
table by themselves. The trustees appointed and paid the teachers. 
They were excellent ones in Dr. Finley's time, namely, Joseph Peri- 
am and Tapping Reeve. The college and the school, I believe, had 
never before been in so flourishing a situation- — The numbers had 
never before been so great. 

" As to revivals of religion, there were some partial ones in college 
before Dr. Finley's time ; but in his time there was something gen- 
eral. It began in 1762, in the Freshman class, to which I then be- 
longed. It was a pretty large class, containing between 25 and 30 
members. Almost as soon as the session commenced, this class met, 
once in the week, for prayer. One of the members became deeply 
impressed ; and this affected the whole class. — The other classes, 
and the whole college, soon became much impressed. Every class 
became a praying society ; and the whole college met once a week, 
for prayer — There was, likewise, a private select society. Societies 
were also held, by the students, in the town and in the country. I 
suppose there was not one that belonged to college but was affected 
more or less. There were two members of the Senior class who 
were considered as opposers of the good work at first. Yet both of 
these persons were afterwards preachers of the gospel. The work 
continued about one year. Fifteen, or about the half of my class, 
was supposed to be pious ; and in the college about Fifty, or nearly 
ene half of the whole number of students." 



S7& NOTES. 

The following memoir of President Finley has been extracted 
from the " General Assembly's Missionary Magazine or Evangelical 
Intelligencer," with some corrections and additions by the present 
writer. The article was prepared for the Magazine by the late Eb- 
enezer Hazard, Esq. of Philadelphia, at that time one of its editors ; 
who had been the pupil of Doctor Finley, and to whom his memory 
was exceedingly precious. The principal materials of the memoir are 
believed to have been taken from the funeral sermon of the Rev. Dr. 
Treat — If the obituary part is long, let it not be forgotten that it ex- 
hibits a death bed scene, which every reader may well wish that 
his own may resemble. 

The Rev. Dr. Samuel Finley was born in the year 1715, in the 
county of Armagh in Ireland, and was one of seven sons who were 
all esteemed pious; his parents possessed the same character. 
They gave him such an education as their circumstances permitted, 
and, in a country school, at some distance from home, he was early 
distinguished for close application, and uncommon proficiency in his 
studies. He left his native country when he had attained only his 
19th year, and arrived in Philadelphia on the 28th of September 
1734. It had pleased God to awaken and convert him very early in 
life, and by many and various dispensations of his Providence, to 
prepare him for those important stations which he afterwards filled. 
He first heard a sermon wiien he was six years old ; and not long 
before his death was heard to say, that he well remembered the 
text ; and that from the day on which he heard the sermon, he con- 
ceived strong desires to be a minister of the gospel ; and according- 
ly, almost as soon as he was capable of forming any resolutions res- 
pecting himself, he determined to devote himself to the service of 
the sanctuary. With this view, he had made considerable progress 
in classical learning before he left Ireland, tmd he spent several 
years, after his arrival in America, in completing his studies, 
during which time he was particulai-ly attentive to Theology.—- 
After a due course of presbyterial trials, he was licensed on the 
5th day of August 1740 to preach the gospel, and was ordained 
on the 13th of October 1742, by the Rev. Presbytery of New-Bruns- 
wick. The first part of his ministry was employed in long and 
fatiguing itinerations, and the records of several of the churches 
which he visited contain honourable memorials of his diligence, 
fidelity and success. A little before this time a remarkable revival 
of religion had commenced, which still continued : in this Mr. Fin- 
ley was a coadjutor with Messrs. Tennent, Whitefield, and others ; 
and his labours were remarkably blessed at Deerfield, Greenwich, 
and Cape-May, in New-Jersey. He preached likewise to great ac- 



NOTES. 379 

ceptance for six months, as a stated supply to a congregation in 
Philadelphia, of which Mr. Gilbert Tennent afterwards had the 
pastoral charge. In June 1744 he accepted a call to Nottingham in 
Maryland, on the border of Pennsylvania, where he continued near 
seventeen years, faithfully discharging the duties of his sacred of- 
fice ; and had the pleasure to see the work of the Lord prospering 
in his hands. During his residence at Nottingham he instituted an 
Academy, which acquired great reputation, and attracted students 
even from distant parts. Mr. Finley was justly famed as a scholar, 
and eminently qualified as a teacher. Under his instruction many 
youths received the rudiments of an education and correct moral 
sentiments, which have since placed them amongst the most useful 
and ornamental members of society. 

Upon the death of President Davies, the trustees of the College of 
New-Jersey elected Mr. Finley as his successor. Great were the 
struggles of his mind on this occasion. His love to his people, and 
theirs to him, was of the most tender kind, having long been nour- 
ished by the affectionate assiduities of uninterrupted friendship ; but 
a prospect of more extensive usefulness, and in that way in which 
Providence had already so remarkably succeeded his labours, in- 
clined him to think it his duty to remove : he therefore accepted 
the invitation given him by the trustees, and removed to Princeton, 
in July 1761. Upon this event the hopes of the well-wishers to the 
college revived, and the clouds which had hung over that nursery of 
religion and learning began to be dissipated. Raised expectations 
were formed by Mr. Finley's friends, and they were not disappoint- 
ed. Under his care the college flourished and acquired additional 
reputation, and his own fame became much more extensive : he was 
known in various parts of Europe, and corresponded with many em- 
inent men there : among them was Dr. Samuel Chandler of London, 
who in all his letters evinced the most sincere esteem for this his 
distant friend. Such was the opinion his friends in Scotland enter- 
tained of him as a divine and a scholar that, without his knowledge, 
they procured for him the degree of Doctor of Divinity, from the 
University of Glasgow : he received his Diploma in 1763, 

Unremitted attention to the duties of his station very sensibly af- 
fected Dr. Finley's health, and produced a fixed obstruction in his 
liver, which put a period to his life on the 17th day of July 1766, in 
the 51st year of his age, a^ Philadelphia, whither he had gone for 
medical assistance,. 

When the Doctor first applied to the physicians in Philadelphia, 
he had no apprehension that his dissolution was so near, as it after- 
wards appeared : For he observed to his friends, " if my work is t 



386 NOTES. 

done I am ready — I do not desire to live a day longer than I can 
work for God. But I cannot think this is the case as yet. God has 
much for me to do before I depart hence." 

About a month before he died his physicians informed him, that 
his disease appeared to them incurable : upon which he expressed 
entire resignation to the Divine will, and from that time till his 
death he was employed in setting his house in order — On being told 
by one of his physicians, that according to present appearances, he 
could live but a few days longer, he lifted up his eyes and exclaim- 
ed " then welcome Lord Jesus." 

On the sabbath preceding his death, his brother-in-law, Dr. 
Clarkson, (one of his physicians) told him that he perceived a vis- 
ible alteration, from which he apprehended his death was at hand. 
" Then, said he, may the Lord bring me near himself. I have been 
waiting with a Canaan hunger for the promised land. I have of- 
ten wondered that God suffered me to live. I have more wondered 
that ever he called me to be a minister of his word. He has often 
afforded me much strength, which though I have abused, he has re- 
turned in mercy. O faithful are the promises of God ! O, that I 
could see him as I have seen him heretofore in his sanctuary ! al- 
though I have earnestly desired death, as the hireling pants for the 
evening shade, yet will I wait all the days of my appointed time. 
I have often struggled with principalities and powers, and have 
been brought almost to despair. — Lord, let it suffice." Here he sat 
up and closed his eyes, and prayed fervently that God would shew 
him his glory before he should depart hence : — that he would ena- 
ble him to endure patiently to the end, and particularly that he 
might be kept from dishonouring the ministry. Then he resumed his 
discourse, and spoke as follows; " I can truly say that I have loved 
the service of God. I know not in what language to speak of my 
own unworthiness.-^I have been undutiful. I have honestly endea- 
voured to act for God, but with much weakness and corruption." 
Here he lay down and continued to speak in broken sentences as fol- 
lows. f A christian's death is the best part of his existence. The 
Lord has made provision for the whple way ; provision for the soul 
and provision for the body. O that I could recollect sabbath bles- 
sings. The Lord hath given me many souls as crowns of my rejoic- 
ing. Blessed be God, eternal rest is at hand. Eternity is but long 
enough to enjoy my God. This, this has animated me in my seve- 
rest studies, I was ashamed to take rest here. O that I could be 
filled with the fulness of God ! That fulness which fills Heaven ! 

Being asked if it were in his choice whether to live or die, which 
he would choose, he replied, * to die, though I cannot but say, I feel 






;: 



NOTES. 331 

the same strait that St. Paul did, that he knew not which to choose ; 
for me to live is Christ, but to die is great gain : but should God by 
a miracle prolong my life, I will still continue to serve him. His 
service has ever been sweet to me. I have loved it much. I have 
tried my master's yoke and will never shrink my neck from it. His 
yoke is easy and his burden light.' He then put his hand to his mouth 
and pulling out a loose tooth, said, * here is one of the pins of the 
tabernacle ; the whole frame will soon fall to pieces.' You are more- 
cheerful and vigorous, sir, said one of the company ; * Yes, he replied, 
I rise or fall, as eternal rest seems nearer or farther off.' It being 
observed to him that he always used the expression, dear Lord, in 
his prayers, he answered, " O ! he is very dear — very precious in- 
deed ! — How pretty it is for a minister to die on the sabbath ! I ex- 
pect to spend the remaining part of this sabbath in heaven! One of 
the company said to him, you will soon be joined to a blessed society: 
you will forever hold converse with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with 
the spirits of the just made perfect, with old friends, and many old 
fashioned people. ' Yes sir,' he replied with a smiie, ' but they are 
a most polite people now.' — He expressed great gratitude to friends 
around him, and said, 'may the Lord repay you for your tenderness 
to me ; may he bless you abundantly, not only with temporal, but 
with spiritual blessings." Turning to his wife, he said, " I expect, my 
dear, too see you shortly in glory.' Then addressing himself to the 
whole company, he said," O that each of you may experience what, 
blessed be God, I do, when you come to die ; may you have the 
pleasure in a dying hour, that with faith and patience, zeal and sin- 
cerity, you have endeavoured to serve the Lord, that each of you 
may be impressed, as I have been, with God's word; looking upon 
it as substantial, and not only fearing, but being unwilling to offend 
against it. " Upon seeing a member of the second Presbyterian 
church in Philadelphia, he said" I have often preached and prayed 
among you, my dear sir, and the doctrines I preached to you are 
now my support, and blessed be God, they are without a flaw. May 
the Lord bless and preserve your churchy he designs good for it yet 
I trust.' To a person from Princeton, he said, " give my love to the 
people at Princeton, and tell them that I am going to die, and that I 
am not afraid to die." — He would sometimes cry out, ' the Lord Jesus* 
take care of his cause in the world.' 

Upon awaking the next morning, he exclaimed, ' O ! what a dis- 
appointment I have met with ! — I expected this morning to have 
been in heaven!' — Great weakness prevented his speaking much this 
day, but what he did say was the language of triumph. 

On the following morning, with a pleasing smile on his counte.- 



582 NOTES. 

nance, and with a strong voice, he cried out, ' O I shall triumph 
over every foe ! The Lord hath given me the victory ! I exult ! I 
triumph J O that I could see untainted purity ! Now I know that it 
is impossible that faith should not triumph over earth and hell : I 
think I have nothing to do but to die ; yet, perhaps I have : Lord 
shew me my task !' After expressing some fears lest he did not en- 
deavour to preserve his remaining life, through eagerness to depart, 
and being told that he did nothing inconsistent with self-preserva- 
tion, he said, 'Lord Jesus, into thy hands I commend my spirit, I do 
it with confidence ; — I do it with full assurance. I know thou wilt 
keep that which I have committed to thee. I have been dreaming 
too fast of the time of my departure, for I find it does not come ; but 
the Lord is faithful, and will not tarry beyond his appointed time." 

When one who attended him, told him that his pulse grew weak- 
er, he cried out, ' that is well. 5 

In the afternoon the Rev. Mr. Spencer'called to see him, and told 
him " I have come, dear sir, to see you confirm, by facts, the gospel 
you have been preaching ; pray how do you feel ?" to which he re- 
plied, " full of triumph ! I triumph through Christ ! Nothing clips 
my wings but the thoughts of my dissolution being prolonged. O 
that it were to-night i My very soul thirsts for eternal rest." Mr. 
Spencer asked him what he saw in eternity to excite such vehement 
desires in his soul ? he said, " I see the eternal love and goodness of 
God :■ — I see the fulness of the Mediator : — I see the love of Jesus : — 
O ! to be dissolved and be with him ! I long to be clothed with the 
complete righteousness of Christ." He then desired Mr. Spencer 
to pray with him before they parted, and told him, " I have gained 
the victory over the devil; pray to God to preserve me from evil, 
to keep me from dishonouring his great name in this critical hour, 
and to support me with his presence in my passage through the val- 
ley of the shadow of death," 

He spent the remaining part of the evening in bidding farewell to, 
and blessing his friends, and exhorting such of his children as were 
with him. He would frequently cry out, " why move the tardy 
hours so slow ?" 

The next day, July 16, terminated his conflict. His speech failed 
him : although he made many efforts to speak, he could seldom do 
it so distinctly as to be understood. A friend desired him to give 
some token whereby his friends might know whether he still con- 
tinued to triumph ; whereupon he lifted up his hand and said, "yes." 
In the afternoon he spoke several sentences, but little could be col- 
lected from them. Some of the last words he spoke concerning him- 
self were, " after one or two engagements more, the conflict will be 



NOTES. 383 

over." In the evening, about 9 o'clock, he fell into a sound sleep, 
and appeared to be much more free from pain than he had been for 
many days before. He continued to sleep without changing his po- 
sition, till about 1 o'clock, when he expired without a sigh or a 
groan. 

During his whole sickness, he was not heard to utter a repining 
word ; and in all the farewells he bid his friends and relations, he 
was never seen to shed a single tear, or exhibit any mark of sorrow. 

He was interred in the second Presbyterian church in the city of 
Philadelphia, adjoining his once intimate friend, the Rev. Gilbert 
Tennent. The excessive heat prevented his being removed to 
Princeton, where the dust of his predecessors lay ; but many of the 
students came from thence to pay the last tribute of respect to the 
remains of him, whom living they admired and loved. Eight of 
them carried the corpse to the grave, and a sermon suited to the 
occasion was preached by the Rev. Richard Treat, of Abingdon. 

Dr. Finley was remarkable for sweetness of temper and politeness 
of behaviour. He was given to hospitality ; charitable without os- 
tentation ; exemplary in the discharge of all relative duties ; and in 
all things showing himself a patron of good works. As a divine he 
was a Calvinist in sentiment. His sermons were not hasty produc- 
tions ; but filled with good sense and well digested sentiment ; ex- 
pressed in language pleasing to men of science, yet perfectly intelli- 
gible by the illiterate. They were calculated to inform the igno- 
rant, to alarm the careless and secure, and to edify and comfort the 
faithful. 

He published a sermon on Matt. XII. 28. entitled, Christ trium- 
phing and Satan raging, preached at Nottingham, January 20th, 
1741 ; a refutation of Mr. Thomson's sermon on the doctrine of con- 
victions, 1743 ; a charitable plea for the speechless, in answer to 
Abel Morgan's anti-pcedo-rantism, 1747; a vindication of the pre- 
ceding, 1748 ; a sermon at the ordination of the Reverend John 
Rodgers, at St. George's, in the county of New-Castle, in Delaware. 
March 16th, 1749 ; a sermon on the death of President Davies, pre- 
fixed to his works. 

Dr. Finley was twice married. His first wife was Miss Sarah 
Hall, a lady of an amiable character, who was truly a help-meet for 
him. By her he had eight children — She died in the year 176';, 
The year following he married Miss Ann Clarkson, daughter of 
Mr. Matthew Clarkson, who had been an eminent merchant in the 
city of New- York, and was a lineal descendant of David Clarkson, 
B. D. who was ejected for non- conformity in England. By his last 
wife, Dr. Finley had no issue. She survived her husband more 



384 NOTES. 

than one and forty years ; and for more than half that period, be- 
longed to the pastoral charge of the present writer, who attended 
lier on her death bed, in January 1808, and witnessed the peaceful 
close of a life of eminent christian piety. She was entirely blind 
for a number of years before her death ; but bore her affliction with 
cheerful patience, and in all her deportment exhibited a spirit 
of meekness, gentleness and kindness, rarely witnessed. 

Doctor Ebenezer Finley, already mentioned, was graduated in this 
college, in the year 1772 ; and was at the time of his death a physi- 
cian of reputation in Charleston, South-Carolina ; and a man distin- 
guished for his piety and moral worth. He was the last surviving 
child of President Finley ; and has himself left several children, one 
of whom was graduated with great reputation in this college, in 1820. 
A daughter — the writer believes the only daughter — of President 
Finley, was married to Samuel Breeze, Esq. of New- Jersey. She left 
an only daughter still living — the wife of the Rev. Doctor Jedediah 
Morse, well known to the publick by many valuable publications. 

A Tomb Stone with an English inscription was placed over the 
grave of President Finley, in Philadelphia — At Princeton the trus- 
tees of the college have erected a Cenotaph to his memory, inscribed 
as follow s — 

Memorise Sacrum 

Reverendi Samuelis Finley, S. T. D. 

Collegii Neo-Csesariensis 

Pr^sidis. 

Armache in Hibernia natus, A. D. MDCCXV. 

In Americam migravit, Anno MDCC XXXIV. 

Sacris ordinibus initiatus est, Anno MDCCXLIII, 

apud Novum Brunsvicum 

Neo-Cxsariensium. 

Ecclesix Nottinghami, Pennsylvaniensium, 

Munus pastorale suscepit, XIVo Kal. Jul. MDCCXLIV ; 

Ibique, Academic ceieberrimrs 

diu prxfuit. 

Designatus Prreses Collegii Neo-Cresariensis, 

Omcium inivit, id. Jul. MDCCLXI. 

Tandem, dilectus, veneratus, 

Omnibus flendus, 

Morti occubuit Philadelphia?, 

XVo Kal, Sextilis, A. D. MDCCLXVI. 

Artibus literisque excultus, 

Prx ceteris prcccipue enituit 



NOTES. 385 

Rerum divinarum scientia. 

Studio divin<e glorise flagrans, 

sum mis opibus 

Ad veram Religionem promovendam, 

et in concionibus, 

et in sermone familiari, 

Opeiam semper navabat. 

Patientia, modesty, mansuetudo 

miranda, 

animo moribusque enituerui*. 

Ob charitatem, observantiam, vigilantiam, 

erga juvenes fidei suse mandatos 

fuit 

insignissimus ; 

Moribus ingenuis, pietate sincera, 

Vixit omnibus dilectus, 

Moriens triumphavit. 

The interval between the death of Doctor Finley and the ac- 
cession of Doctor Wither spoon — From July 17th, 1766, to August 
13th, 1768. 

The trustees of the college did not, as we have seen, proceed to 
the election of a President at their first meeting, September 24th 
1766, after the death of Doctor Finley. But they then appointed a 
meeting to be held, expressly for this purpose, on the 19th of No- 
vember following. From this, and several subsequent meetings of 
the board, such extracts will be made, and such remarks subjoined, 
as may serve to give a just view of the state of the institution, during 
the period now under consideration. 

" Wednesday the nineteenth day of Nov. A. D. 1766. 

It having pleased a holy and wise God to remove by death the 
late Reverend and worthy Dr. Samuel Finley from the President- 
ship of the college, the board proceeded to the choice of another to 
succeed him in that Office ; when, after mature deliberation, the 
Reverend Doctor Wither spoon, of Paisley in Scotland, was duly 
elected as the Charter directs, nemine contradicente : and it is or- 
dered that a copy of this minute be enclosed and transmitted to the 
said Dr. Witherspoon, in a letter, to be signed by the President, 
from this board, praying his acceptance of the said office. And it is 
further ordered, that a letter, in like manner, be transmitted to 
Richard Stockton, Esq. one of the members of this board, now in 
London, enclosing the above to his care ; and requesting his perso- 
nal application to Dr. Witherspoon, to solicit his acceptance, and in- 

D 3 



385 NOTES. 

forming that tills board will defray his, the said Mr. Stockton's ex- 
penses, in his journey to Scotland for the said purpose ; and also, 
that another letter, to be signed in like manner, be transmitted to 
Mr. Dennys De Berdt, Merchant in London, enclosing a duplicate 
of the letter to Dr. Witherspoon, in case the said Mr. Stockton 
should not happen to be in London, requesting the said Mr. De Berdt 
to forward the same ; and that he would be pleased to use his influ- 
ence and interest for the same purpose. Ordered that Messrs. 
Spencer, Redman and Shin^n, do prepare draughts of said letters, 
to be laid before this board to-morrow. Resolved — that in case of Dr. 
Witherspoon's acceptance of the Presidentship of this College, the 
sum of One Hundred Guineas be allowed to defray the expenses of 
his removal and voyage ; and that his salary commence on the day 
of his arrival in North-America. 

Messrs. George Bryan, John Johnson, William Allison, James 
Meas, and Samuel Purviance, from Philadelphia, waited upon the 
board, and presented a petition signed by some gentlemen of Lewis- 
town, in Pennsylvania ; and also a letter signed by twenty-six gen- 
tlemen of Philadelphia, requesting and recommending, among other 
things, the establishment of several Professorships in the college. 

Ordered, that the said papers do lie on the table, for farther ma- 
ture consideration." 

In order to understand fully the nature of a negociation of which 
this minute gives the first intimation, but which will afterwards be 
found to have occupied the most serious attention of the board, it 
will be necessary to recollect what has already been said, in regard 
to the rival Synods of New-York and Philadelphia ; and that the 
college was the offspring and favourite child of the former of these 
bodies. It has been cursorily mentioned that the schism was healed 
in the year 1757, and that the two Synods were again united. This 
notwithstanding, much of the spirit which had produced the sepa- 
ration still remained ; and indeed was not extinct till many years 
after this period. The cause and peculiarities of the Synod of Phil- 
adelphia had been denominated the old side, and those of the New- 
York Synod, the new side ; and these Shibboleths of party remained 
long after the formal union of the Synods. It is hoped that none of 
the acrimony with which they were once used any longer exists ; 
but they still serve as convenient designations of parties which once 
divided the Presbyterian church. 

The college of New-Jersey, notwithstanding the adverse circum- 
stances which it experienced in the deaths of four Presidents in 
less than nine years, had, on the whole, been advancing in reputation 
ever since its establishment ; and under Doctor Finley had proba- 



tfOTES. 387 

bly risen higher than at any preceeding period. At his death it 
was unquestionably the most reputable literary institution of which 
the Presbyterians could boast. This circumstance, it is believ- 
ed, induced the old side party to seek an alliance with it : and 
if a cordial alliance could have been formed, it would, without 
doubt, have been an event highly favourable for the college, 
and for the Presbyterian church at large. That some of the 
leading men in each party hoped that this might be effected, 
and honestly laboured to bring it about, there is good reason to 
believe. But there was still too much of party views and feelings 
to admit of such an issue. The whole transaction bears marks of 
jealous caution and diplomatick management, on both sides. The 
college being now without a President, and known to be in great 
want of funds, the opportunity was supposed to be favourable for 
obtaining a participation, by the old side party, in the whole govern- 
ment and instruction of the institution, in consideration of the pecuni- 
ary aid which that party would engage tu afford. But the board of 
trustees proceeded, as we have seen, to elect a President, even be- 
fore they opened a negociation ; and with a design, it is believed, to 
foreclose all interference or propositions, in regard to the choice of 
that officer. On the other hand, such representations were speedily 
made in Scotland of the state of the college, as were calculated to 
induce Dr. Witherspoon to refuse the Presidency ; and which ac- 
tually had that effect, till his misapprehensions were removed by an 
agent of the board. The writer has in his hands the unquestionable 
evidence of this fact, although it does not appear in the records of 
the trustees. 

" November 20th, 9 o'clock, A. M. 

Messrs. Spencer, Redman and Shippen, pursuant to an order of 
yesterday, produced draughts of Letters to Dr. Witherspoon, Rich- 
ard Stockton, Esq. and Mr. Dennys De Berdt, which were read and 
approved. 

Ordered, That the said letters be transcribed and signed by the 
President of this board, who is requested to despatch the same by 
the first vessel bound from New- York to London. 

Mr. Samuel Breeze, one of the Executors of the estate of Dr. Fin- 
ley deceased, requesting aa order of this board upon the treasurer, 
for the payment of the salary which became due to the said Dr. Fur- 
ley at the time of his death, the clerk is directed immediately to 
make out and sign an order on Mr. Sergeant, for the payment of 
whatever sum remained due to Dr. Finley, as his salary, at the time 
of his death ; together with the interest of the same from the day 
of his decease, and that he take a discharge for the saiae. 



388 NOTES. 

A letter was delivered into this board, signed by several gentlemen 
Of Baltimore, in Maryland, on the subject-matter of those presented 
yesterday from Lewis-town and Philadelphia. 

Ordered, that the said letter do lie with the others on the table, 
for farther consideration. 

Resolved, that Messrs. Woodruff, Tennent, Spencer and Rodgers, 
be a committee, forthwith to wait upon the gentlemen from Phila- 
delphia, who have signified it to be their desire to meet a committee 
of this board, in order to a free conference on the subject matter of 
the sundry letters, &c. which have been delivered in by them : and 
that the said committee do report the result of the said conference to 
this board. 

The board taking into consideration the necessity of appointing a 
President of this college, pro tempore, while destitute of a fixed 
head, for the better care and government of the same, requested the 
Rev. Wm. Tennent, to take upon himself the charge and burden of 
that office, as he had been pleased to do heretofore, until the next 
meeting of the trustees. The said Mr. Tennent, being pleased to 
signify his acquiescence, was accordingly appointed President pro 
tempore, and qualified as the charter directs. 

The committee appointed to wait upon the gentlemen from Phila- 
delphia, being returned, reported, that they have had a full and free 
conference together upon the subject matter of the petitions and let- 
ters presented by those gentlemen. That the said gentlemen observ- 
ed, that the proposals made to the trustees, being upon the footing 
that the President's chair was vacant, they were disconcerted in 
their general plan, by the election of Dr. Witherspoon to the Presi- 
dentship, before their proposals were presented — that the said plan 
being thereby altered, they were not authorized to determine abso- 
lutely, what would be done hereafter by their constituents, respect- 
ing the general object they had in view — that nevertheless they were 
truly desirous that some effectual method might be taken to com- 
plete the proposed design : — That a proposal was made by the said 
committee, viz. that on supposition of the nomination of two gentle- 
men for professorships, to wit.* the Rev. Messrs. Blair and M'Dow- 
ell, on condition that money could be raised by the friends of this 
institution to support them, whether their constituents would be sa- 
tisfied, and they would undertake to promote a subscription for their 
support, to which the said gentlemen replied, that, however desi- 

• These gentlemen, Mr. Blair of die new side and Mr. M'Dowell of the old side 
party, were both of high standing in the publick estimation, and of unquestionable 
excellence of character. Mr. Blair was afterwards professor of Divinity in the 
college. 



NOTES. 389 

rous they were to accomplish so excellent a design, they would not 
at present engage for the future conduct of their constituents. 

The board taking into mature consideration the above report, 
came to the following resolution — Whereas it is an object of their 
greatest concern, that union and the strictest harmony among all the 
friends and patrons of religion and sound literature might be promo- 
ted by every proper method, and that this institution may have eve- 
ry possible advantage of increasing its reputation, and the cause of 
learning: and as there appears reason to expect great and happy 
consequences both to the interest of religion and of this seminary, 
from putting into execution the general design of the proposals made 
— they will gladly do every thing in their power to accomplish the 
said end: and accordingly declare themselves greatly desirous that 
a sufficieacy of monies by subscription, or otherwise, might be ob- 
tained to accomplish this noble design ; and are cheerfully willing 
to join in any particular method that can be devised for raising the 
necessary sums. For though this board would gladly proceed to the 
election of professors, without delay, were their funds sufficient to 
support such an additional expense ; yet they judge it by no means 
expedient to take that step before they have a certain medium for 
their support." 

The trustees having elected a President without con- 
sulting with those who came to negotiate on that, as well as 
on other points, proposed to choose two professors, one from 
each party, and hoped by this arrangement to satisfy the gen- 
tlemen with whom they were in treaty. The proposed measure 
however was not satisfactory. To have a voice and influence in the 
choice of a President, as well as other officers, was manifestly a 
causa sine qua non with the old side party, in this whole concern. 
The historian is not prepared, either to censure them for maintain- 
ing this point, or to blame the other side for not conceding it. He 
will only remark, that now it is palpable, although it might not then 
have been apparent, that between parties so jealous of each other, 
no cordial union could take place, and therefore that it was well 
for the institution that all these attempts proved abortive. We 
shall see, however, that the idea of uniting the two parties, in sup- 
port of the college, was not easily or readily relinquished. 

" Whereas it appears that the grammar school now kept in the 
college by Mr. Avery is likely to become chargeable to the college 
funds — Resolved, that this board will no longer support the same* 
and do accordingly dismiss the said Mr. Avery from their service; 
but that nevertheless the said Avery may, if he thinks it expedient, 
continue to keep the school in the college on his own proper account 
and risque. 



590 NOTES. 

At a meeting of the trustees of the College of New- Jersey, at 
Nassau Hall, on Wednesday the 30th day of September, Anno 
Domini 1767. * * * 

October 1, 9 o'clock, A. M. 

Met according to adjournment. Mr. S. Smith communicated a 
letter to this board from the Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, wherein 
that gentleman is pleased to decline an acceptance of the President- 
ship of this college, to which he was elected in November last." 

This refusal of Doctor Witherspoon to accept his first appoint- 
ment as President of the college, was not occasioned by the discoura- 
ging accounts which had been transmitted to Scotland in relation to 
the state of the institution. His unfavourable impressions in that 
respect, which at first were strong, had been entirely removed. The 
reluctance of Mrs. Witherspoon to leave her native country was 
the chief, if not the sole cause of his refusal, at this time. She was 
afterwards perfectly reconciled to the idea of his removal ; and with 
the affection and piety for which she was eminently distinguished, 
cheerfully accompanied her husband to a foreign country, with no 
expectation of ever returning to " the land of her father's sepul- 
chres." 

Mr. Stockton* acquainted the board, that there were several 
gentlemen from Philadelphia now in town, — *viz. Messrs. George 
Bryan, William Allison, John Chevalier, John Boyd and John Wal- 
lace, who had informed him, that they had some things to offer t» 
this corporation, and were desirous of being heard. Mr. Stockton 
was accordingly requested immediately to. wait upon those gentle- 
men, and inform them that the trustees were now ready to heal- 
th em. 

The Philadelphia gentlemen, being introduced by Mr. Stockton, 
begged leave to remind the trustees, that they had the last year 
presented sundry papers and letters, containing proposals relative t» 
the establishment of a faculty in the college ; that their constituents 
were still very desirous that the general plan should be carried into 
execution, if the circumstances of the college would possibly admit 
of it; and prayed that the same might be reconsidered. The said 
gentlemen were then assured, that this board would come to some 
determination thereon, as soon as possible. 

Ordered, That the several letters and proposals above mentioned 
be again read and maturely considered ; which were read and consid*^ 
cred accordingly. 

♦ This gentleman had now returned to the hoard, after an absence i» Britaip, 
of about a year. 



NOTES. 391 

Resolved, That Messrs. Stockton, Ogden and Shippen, be a 
committee to confer more fully with those gentlemen on the subject- 
matter of the said proposals. 

Mr. Halsey, eldest tutor of this college, now thought fit to re- 
sign his office ; and requesting testimonials in his favour from the 
trustees — it is ordered that an ample certificate be made out, to be 
signed by the clerk, in the name of this board, and sealed with the 
corporation seal, certifying the said Mr. Halsey's faithful services 
and good conduct, during his tutorship in the college, with recom- 
mendation of him as a gentleman of genius, learning and real merit. 

Mr. Wm. Tennent produced draughts of sundry laws for the bet- 
ter regulation and order of the college, which were read, considered 
and amended, and the question being put whether the same do pass a 
it was unanimously voted in the affirmative. 

Voted, That Mr. James Thompson one of the tutors of this col- 
lege be the present inspector of the rooms, and that he be allowed 
the sum of five pounds per annum for his trouble in executing that 
office ; and that, upon his resignation or removal, the President, 
for the time being, be empowered to nominate and appoint some 
ether fit person to succeed in the said office." 

This is the first appointment, on record, of an inspector of the col- 
lege. The office has been found useful, and has been continued 
ever since. 

** Messrs. Woodruff and Ogden, who were appointed this morning 
to examine into the general state of the College funds, now report 
that they find the sum total in the hands of the treasurer, in bonds, 
notes, &c. to amount to the sum of £2815 3 1 — of which, they find 
•nly £950, or thereabouts, to be at present under actual improve- 
ment at interest. 

The committee appointed to meet and confer with the Philadel- 
phia delegates, being returned, report, that they find these gentle- 
men and their constituents still heartily desirous of concurring with 
the trustees of this college in the establishment and support of a 
faculty, and promising to unite their utmost endeavours to raise 
the necessary funds to carry the same into speedy execution — that 
the said gentlemen being asked by the committee, whether the ap- 
pointment of all, or any of the particular persons, to professorships, 
in their proposals named and recommended, was intended as a term 
of their acceeding to and assisting in the establishment proposed, 
replied, that it was not the intention to make the appointment of 
any of the particular persons named by their constituents, a term of 
the proposed union ; but that any other gentlemen who might be 
deemed qualified for their offices, and indiscriminately chosen with- 



392 NOTES. 

out regard to party distinction, would be as acceptable to them— 
The board, taking the subject into mature consideration, were unani- 
mously of opinion, that the constitution of a faculty, to consist of well 
qualified professors in the several branches of academical science, 
to be chosen without regard to any little party differences, would 
greatly subserve the interest of religion and learning in this semi- 
nary ; and would tend to the better and more perfect instruction and 
government in the same ; and it was accordingly resolved, that in 
pursuance of the said plan, the choice of a faculty, to consist of pro- 
fessors in some of the most essential parts of literature, be entered 
upon to-morrow morning. 

October 2d, 9 o'clock, A. M. met according to adjournment, and 
present as yesterday. The trustees having now thought proper, 
pursuant to their resolution of yesterday, to enter upon the choice 
of a Faculty, to consist of Professors in the most necessary branches 
of education in the college, did, in the first place, proceed to the ap- 
pointment of a Professor of Divinity and Moral Philosophy ; when, 
after mature deliberation, the Reverend Mr. John Blair, of Fog's 
Manor in Pennsylvania, and one of the members of this board, was 
duly chosen to that office. Adjourned till 3 o'clock, P. M. 

The trustees now proceeded to the choice of a Professor of Math- 
em aticks and natural Philosophy, when Dr. Hugh Williamson, of 
Philadelphia, was duly elected to that office ; and Mr. Jonathan Ed- 
wards, now a tutor in this college, was also duly chosen to the Pro- 
fessorship of Languages and Logick. 

The Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, having thought fit to decline the 
invitation of this board to the Presidentship of the college, the trus- 
tees proceeded to the choice of a President to succeed the late rev- 
erend and worthy Dr. Finley, deceased. After the maturest delibe- 
ration, the Rev. Mr. Samuel Blair, of Boston, in New-England, 
was duly elected President of this college, and also Professor of Rhet- 
orick and Metaphysicks. 

Voted, that the sum of one hundred pounds proclamation, be allow- 
ed to the Rev. Mr. Wm. Tennent, in consideration of his services to 
this college, as Vice-President pro tern, from the 19th of November 
last, to the present commencement : and, ordered that the treasurer 
pay unto the said Mr. Tennent, the said sum of £100, out of the first 
monies that he may have in hands. 

Voted, that the annual salaries of the President and Professors 
now chosen, to commence from the time they shall respectively en- 
ter upon their several offices, shall be as follows : — 
To the President and Professor of Rhetorick and Metaphysicks £200 
Professor of Divinity and Moral Philosophy 175 



NOTES. G95 

Professor of Mathematicks and Natural Philosophy £150 

Professor of Languages and Logick 125 

The trustees having now, pursuant to the plan proposed, nomina- 
ted and chosen several gentlemen of reputation in the literary world, 
and of undoubted skill in those branches of science to which they 
are designed, do find, that notwithstanding they have annexed the 
most moderate salaries to the respective officers, the present state 
of the college revenue renders it impossible for them to provide the 
sum total of the salaries ; and that it is therefore not in their power 
immediately to invite and introduce together the four professors 
elect, to the actual execution of their offices, as a faculty ; even 
should they all acquiesce in their present election, which is yet an 
uncertainty : and as four instructors are immediately requisite to 
carry on the business of the college, it is resolved to continue the 
present constitution under a Vice-President and three Tutors, at 
least during the year ensuing — that at the end of the year, the Pre- 
sident elect be called to the exercise of his office ; and if, in the inte- 
rim, any means may be devised to enable the trustees to support the 
two other professors, (viz. the professor of Mathematicks and Natu- 
ral Philosophy, and Professor of Languages and Logick) in that case 
the gentlemen now elected to those offices shall be called to enter upon 
the same, and the constitution by a faculty shall then take place*. 

Pursuant to the above resolution, the Rev. Mr. John Blair, who is 
pleased to accept the professorship of divinity and morality, was also 
chosen Vice-President, until the next commencement, and was a/> 
eordingly qualified to hold those offices, as the charter directs. 

Mr. Joseph Periam was also duly elected senior tutor of this col- 
lege, in the room of Jeremiah Halsey resigned, and was qualified as 
the charter directs. 

Mr. James Thompson, second tutor, and Mr. Jonathan Edwards., 
jun. tutor, whose services and conduct in their respective offices be- 
ing much approved, were requested by Mr. Tennent, in the name of 
this board, to continue in their said offices for the year ensuing, to 
which they were pleased to signify their compliance. 

Voted, That there be allowed the sum of one hundred pounds 
proc. to each of the tutors, as their respective salaries, for the year 
ensuing. 

Voted, That the expenses that may accrue to the Rev. Mr. John 
Blair, in the removal of himself and family to Nassau-Hall, be 
defrayed out of the college treasury. 

Dr. Shippen is desired to inform Dr. Williamson by letter,, in the 
name of this board, of his election to the professorship of Mathe- 
maticks and Natural Philosophy, and to acquaint him with their 



494 NOTES. 

resolution to defer calling him to the exercise of the office, for at 
least one year, and until they are enabled to provide the support an- 
nexed to the same. 

Mr. Spencer is desired to notify the congregation at Fog's Manor 
of Mr. Blair's election to a professorship in this college, and to pur- 
sue th6 necessary steps, in the behalf of this board, for obtaining 
the said Mr. Blair's discharge from his pastoral office, in order to his 
speedy removal." 

Mr. Blair, agreeably to the arrangements here made, was releas- 
ed from his pastoral charge, and entered on the performance of his 
duties, as Vice-President and Professor of $)ivinity in the College., 
But none of the other professors ever accepted their appointments. 
By the conditions attached to these appointments, they were not to 
take effect till after the lapse of a whole year ; nor even then, un- 
less, in the mean time, funds should be collected adequate to the 
support of the professors to whom they related. These arrange- 
ments appear to have been proposed on the one side, and acceded 
to on the other, with a view to show a conciliatory disposition. One 
professor of the old side party was chosen ; and at the same meet- 
ing one gentleman of that party was unanimously elected, to fill a 
vacancy which had taken place in the board of trustees. While 
this •was done, however, effectual care was taken to give no pledges 
which could produce subsequent embarrassment. These measures 
were, perhaps, the best which the circumstances in which the board 
was placed would admit. Yet it seems strange that any one should 
seriously expect that they would ever be carried into effect. It is 
believed by the writer that many members of the board, at this 
very time, cherished a pretty sanguine hope that Dr. Witherspoon 
would yet become the President of the college. That event, wheth- 
er expected or not, did at length take place ; and not a word after- 
wards appears on the records, in regard to the appointments which 
were now made ; nor in reference to any part of this negociation 
and agreement relative to a faculty. There had never, indeed, 
been any ojien or avowed opposition to the election of Doctor With- 
erspoon. And when he entered on his office, his prudence, talents 
and weight of character, not only put an end to party measures in 
the board of trustees, but contributed greatly to produce the same 
ejfect in the councils of the church to which he belonged. 

" Mr. Tennent communicated a letter from Mr. Stephen Say re of 
X^ondon, merchant, wherein he is pleased to offer, if properly em- 
powered, to exert his endeavours in England for obtaining benefac- 
tions in favour of this college. Resolved, that the thanks of this 
board be transmitted to that gentleman for his polite and gen^cus 



NOTES. 395 

offer ; and that Mr. Rodgers do write to the said Mr. Sayre, in the 
name of this board, expressing their grateful acknowledgments for 
his proffered services in England ; and at the same time to enclose 
a general commission from the trustees of this college, to be signed 
by the clerk in their name and sealed with the corporation seal, em- 
powering him to act as their agent and attorney, in soliciting and 
receiving benefactions in books, Philosophical Instruments, and sub- 
scriptions for the use of this College ; and to employ any attorneys 
under him for the said purpose." 

Stephen Sayre, the gentleman mentioned in this minute, was a 
native American, and graduated at Nassau-Hall in 1757. He was, 
at this time, an eminent London merchant, and afterwards became 
high sheriff of that city. His kind dispositions toward his Alma 
Mater were certainly commendable ; but there is no record of any 
donations which he obtained for the college. Perhaps his expecta- 
tions Were disappointed by the ardent controversies which, about 
this time, took place, in regard to the claims of the mother country 
and the colonies. In those controversies Mr. Sayre participated 
deeply— He eventually left Britain, returned to his native country, 
and lived in retirement to a very advanced age. He died in Vir- 
ginia about four years since. 

" Voted, That there be allowed to Mr. Halsey the sum of forty 
pounds (including the graduation fees at this commencement) over 
and above his stated salary, in consideration of his extra services 
during the past year, and the treasurer is hereby directed to pay 
unto the said Mr. Halsey whatever sum the graduation fees may 
fall short of said forty pounds, over and above his stated salary, as 
soon as he conveniently can. 

Resolved, That Messrs. Stockton, Berrien and Woodruff, be a 
committee for settling the accounts of the last college lottery with 
the managers thereof, and report the same at the next fall meeting. 

Ordered, That the treasurer do collect in the out-standing debts 
of the last lottery, with all possible despatch. 

At a meeting of the trustees — 9th December, 1767 — The clerk 
certified that, pursuant to an order to him directed and signed by 
six of the trustees of this college, he had issued regular and timely 
notifications of the present meeting, to all the members. 

Mr. Smith communicated a letter from the Rev. Mr. Samuel 
Blair, to the Honourable William Smith, Esq. President of the trus- 
tees at their last meeting, wherein the said Mr. Blair declines ac- 
cepting the Presidentship of this college, to which he was chosen ; 
and the said office was accordingly declared to be vacant." 

>The Rev. Samue} Blair, afterwards the J^ev. Do£tor BlaiJ*, who is 



396 NOTES. 

recorded in this minute to have " declined accepting the President- 
ship of the college," was the son of the Rev. Samuel Blair of Fog's 
Manor, heretofore mentioned, and the nephew of the Rev. John 
Blair, professor of Divinity. He was graduated at Nassau-Hall in 
1760 ; and afterwards served, for about a year, as a tutor in the in- 
stitution. He was, at this time, settled in the ministry, in the town 
of Boston, as colleague with the venerable Doctor Joseph Sewall, 

Mr. Blair must have been under thirty years of age, probably not 
more than twenty-eight, when he was chosen President. But at 
that time a youth of higher promise was probably not to be found 
in the American church. The writer has learned from good au- 
thority, that as soon as Mi\ Blair had ascertained that a re-election 
of Doctor Witherspoon would insure his services and influence in 
favour of the college, a voluntary and prompt tender of the resigna- 
tion here recorded, prevented the embarrassment in which the 
board of trustees might otherwise have been involved. Dr. With- 
erspoon has been known to mention this act, as an instance of disin- 
terestedness and generosity, highly creditable to Mr. Blair. 

This gentleman, shortly after his resignation of the Presidency, 
fell into a valetudinary state, which induced him to resign his pas- 
toral charge in Boston ; and which rendered his subsequent life 
little else than a long disease. He resided, for many years, at Ger- 
mantown in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, and performed 
such occasional ministerial services as his health would permit — 
For two years, he served as chaplain in Congress. The writer re- 
collects many pleasant hours spent in his company, in an acquain- 
tance of nearly thirty years continuance. He died about two years 
since. 

" Mr. Stockton communicated to the board sundry letters he had 
lately received from Scotland, informing him that difficulties which 
had prevented Dr. Witherspoon's acceptance of the Presidentship 
to which he had been chosen, were now removed ; and that upon a 
re-election, he would esteem it a duty to enter into this publick ser- 
vice. The board, receiving the intelligence with peculiar satisfac- 
tion, proceeded immediately to a re-election, when the said Doctor 
"Witherspoon was again unanimously elected to the said office. 

Resolved, that the salary to be allowed Dr. Witherspoon, as Presi- 
dent of this college, be according to the propositions made to him in 
the letter wrote him by the President of this board, upon his former 
election ; together with the explanation thereof mentioned to the 
said Dr. Witherspoon, by Mr. Stockton, one of the members of this 
board, in his letter from Edinburgh, dated 2d March, 1767 : And 



NOTES. 397 

that the same sum of ©ne hundred guineas, as en his former elec- 
tion, be allowed him for the expenses of removing himself and fami- 
ly to this place. 

Resolved, that the President of this board be desired immediately 
to transmit a copy of the above vote to Dr. Witherspoon ; and also 
to send a duplicate of the same by the first opportunity, to be accom- 
panied with his letter, requesting the said Dr. Witherspoon to has- 
ten his coming over, as soon as he conveniently can. 

The trustees from long experience having found the inconvenien- 
ces and disadvantages to this institution, which have arisen from in- 
dulgences that have frequently been granted, by admitting and re- 
ceiving scholars into one or other of the three higher classes, at their 
first coming to the college, upon their payment of certain fees as en- 
trance money, it is therefore voted, that from and after the com- 
mencement which shall be held in the month of September 1769, no 
dispensation shall be granted by the President or officers of this col- 
lege from the usual residence of four years, required by the standing 
laws of this and other colleges ; and that no candidates shall be 
thenceforward received into this seminary, but as entrants into the 
lowest or Freshman class ; allowing only the term of the first quar- 
ter, after the commencement vacation, to be regarded as days of 
grace, after which no scholar shall be admitted." 

This order of the board was soon repealed : and after several mod- 
ifications, the rule which for several years past has been established 
and acted on, in regard to the reception of students into the several 
classes of college, is, that no student shall be admitted to a higher 
standing than the beginning of the senior year ; and that the tuition, 
and room rent of two full years, shall be paid by every student, be- 
fore he is admitted to his degree — Admissions to the senior class 
have very seldom taken place. 

" Voted, that the practice of sending freshmen upon errands, or 
employing them as servitors, in any manner whatsoever, be from 
henceforward totally discontinued." 

Previously to this time, the members of the freshmen class were 
accustomed to perform several menial services, when required so to 
do by the other students, especially by those of the senior class. By 
the passage of this vote, the absurd usage was abolished, and has 
ever since been discontinued. 

" Mr. Stockton having informed the board, that he had received 
when in England, the sum of one hundred pounds sterling, which 
was given to the trustees of this college in trust for and towards the 
support of a Divinity Professor in the same, by Mr. Williamson of 



398 NOTES. 

Hanover, in Virginia — Resolved that Dr. Redman do transmit the 
thanks of this board, by letter, to the said Mr. Williamson, for hi-s 
generous donation. 

The trustees conceiving it to be a matter of real importance to the 
interest of this college, that the grammar school which was lately- 
kept in this town should be again set up, under the countenance and 
patronage of this board, resolved that Messrs. Woodruff, Berrien, 
Tennent, Stockton and Smith, or any three of them, be a committee 
to consider of ways and means for setting up and promoting the 
same, and to procure a proper master, or masters, who may be wil- 
ling to engage in that service,, and report their proceedings at the 
next meeting. 

The trustees having thought it expedient, in order to enable them to 
establish and support a number of Professors in this college, that sub- 
scriptions in this and the neighbouring colonies should be set forward, 
among the friends of religion and learning, and Mr. Smith presenting a 
draught of a preamble to said proposed subscription papers, the one 
designed to be subscribed by such persons as may choose to contri- 
bute a sum in gross, the other as an annual subscription, to continue 
for seven years, from 1st August 1768, the same were examined 
and approved ; and Mr. Bryan is desired to order 300 of each sort to 
be forthwith printed at Philadelphia, and to distribute a number of 
each to every member of this board, who mutually engage to use 
their best endeavours to promote these subscriptions in the country. 
And the said Mr. Bryan is directed to draw upon the trustees for 
the expense of printing the same. 

This board being informed that the Synod of New- York and Phil- 
adelphia, have lately appointed an annual contribution to be made in 
the several congregations throughout their bounds, for the laudable 
purpose of promoting christian knowledge, and conceiving that a 
yearly appropriation of some part of the said contributions, for and 
towards the support of a Divinity Professor in this college, would 
perfectly accord with the views of the Synod in the said appoint- 
ment, as the well training up and instruction of our youth in the doc- 
trines of Christianity would be one of the most effectual means to 
accomplish the excellent purposes designed by said contribution ; it 
is therefore ordered, that Mr. Rodgers do prepare a draught of a 
letter to said Synod, requesting an annual appropriation of part of 
those collections towards the maintenance of a Professor of Divinity 
in this college, to be laid before the board this afternoon. 

Mr. Rodgers, pursuant to order, laid before the board a draught 
of a letter to the Reverend Synod of New- York and Philadelphia, 
which was read and approved — Ordered that the same be transcribe 



NOTES. 399 

ed and signed by the clerk, and that Mr. Rodgers do present it at the 
next session of the said Synod." 

This application to the Synod was successful. A contribution was 
ordered to be made, in all the congregations under the care of the 
Synod, for the support of a Professor of Divinity in the college — to 
be annually applied by a vote of the Synod. In the mean time, the 
sum of fifty pounds was loaned, on the credit of the fund expected to 
arise from the contributions ordered, and was immediately paid to 
the college treasurer. 

At the close of the meeting of the trustees, in December, 1767, 
from the minutes of which the preceding extracts have been made, 
the board adjourned till "the next commencement;" expecting 
probably that Dr. Witherspoon would not arrive before that time. 
He did arrive however in August of the following year, and a special 
meeting of the board was called on the 17th of that month, at which 
he was inaugurated. 



*Fhe author of these notes has now shown the origin and design of 
the college of New-Jersey ; and traced its history through the ad- 
ministration of its firsfe five Presidents — a labour which he has 
found far greater than he anticipatedwhen he entered upon it, and 
for the continuance of which he has, at present, neither strength nor 
feisure. The whole period, however, in the history of the college, 
over which a degree of obscurity had gathered, and which was eve- 
ry year increasing, has been explored and enlightened. — To accom- 
plish this he was chiefly solicitous. For the period that remains, 
although more extensive, and in some respects more interesting,than 
that of which an account has been given, the materials for history 
are both ample and easily accessible. Perhaps the author, at a fu- 
ture day, may pursue and complete this history, and publish the 
whole in a volume by itself — For this, however, he can give no 
pledge. 

In the mean time, that the readers of these notes may have a gen- 
eral view of the present state of the institution, and of the course of 
study pursued in it — he subjoins a copy of a circular letter, which is 
sent, twice a year, to the parents and guardians of the youth who be- 
long to the college. 

CIRCULAR. 

The parents' and guardians of the youth sent to a place of publick 
education, are naturally and properly anxious to know the charac- 



400 NOTES. 

ter, standing and proficiency, of their children or wards. To satisfy* 
this anxiety, to prevent the necessity of frequent written communi- 
cations, and at the same time to promote the welfare both of the 
youth and of the institution, it has been resolved to send, at the end 
of each session, a printed communication to every parent or guardi- 
an interested in the youth now at this college. 

To make the information conveyed, at once concise and perspicu- 
ous, the following method has been devised : The class to which 
each student belongs has been divided, with reference to the articles 
specified at the bottom of this page, into three parts — The first part 
contains those who are considered as having the most merit in the 
class, in the several articles specified, and is marked No. 1. — The 
second part contains all those who have a medium share of merits 
and is marked No. 2. — The third part, marked No. 3, contains those 
who are below the medium standing. When an individual is distin- 
guished in any of the particulars which are numerically marked, the 
word distinguished, is added, in manuscript, to the number. And as 
distinctions, in the article of scholarship, are themselves various, the 
variety is also marked — Thus, if under the article scholarships a stu- 
dent is marked No. 1. distinguished (1), he is to be considered as 
ranking among the first in his class — If he is marked No. 1. distin- 
guished (2), he is to be considered as a degree less eminent than the 
former. So, likewise, in regard to (3) following the word distin- 
guished. And if he is simply marked No. 1, he is to be considered 
as holding more than a medium standing in his class, yet not as equal 
to those who are distinguished. Those who, in scholarship, are 
ranked under Nos. 2 and 3, are never discriminated as standing high • 
or low in those grades. The former No. as already intimated, indi- 
cates a good medium standing, and the latter a standing somewhat 
lower. 

All who receive this communication may be assured, that the 
statement given, is made by the faculty with a sacred regard to 
truth and impartiality. They are sensible, however, that they may 
not always do exact justice, though they aim at it ; and it will ever 
give them pleasure to correct, in a subsequent communication, an 
error made in a preceding one. They believe they are rather more 
in danger of mistaking on the favourable, than the unfavorable side : 
but they repeat, that they have been as cautious as possible, not to 
step from the line of truth, on the one hand or on the other. The 
article of behaviour is that in which they are most likely to err. 

It is important to remark, that the character of youth often chan- 
ges during the course of their education. Some who begin well, end 
ill ; and some, on the contrary, who were once culpable, reform, and 






NOTES. 401 

take the highest standing. It therefore by no means follows, that 
each student will remain always what he is now. If parents, then, 
observe that their children are doing well, it will behove them to 
use all their advice and influence to preserve them in well doing. If 
deficiencies or faults are observed, the youth should be exhorted, 
and urged, and encouraged to repair them. The thing is perfectly 
practicable, and often takes place in fact. If industry has been grea- 
ter than success, no fault is involved, and none ought to be charged : 
The youth is unfortunate, not blameable. 

It is the earnest endeavour of the faculty to avoid all harshness, 
severity or rigor, in the administration of the government and in- 
struction of the college, and to make all suitable allowance for the 
inconsiderateness of youth. Nothing servile, degrading or impracti- 
cable, is wished or demanded. It is the object to which they con- 
stantly look, to make their pupils happy, and to present them to 
their parents manly, well taught, and virtuous. But to the attain- 
ment of these ends, strict order, prompt obedience, unblemished mo- 
rals, and constant industry, are considered as indispensable. No 
youth can long remain in this institution who is grossly deficient in 
any one of these particulars. Parents, therefore, will consult their 
own and their children's happiness, by inculcating, in the most im- 
pressive manner, an attention to these several points : And if those 
who have children now here, shall be consulted by others who may 
think of sending youth to this college, it will be accepted as a favour, 
if the inquirers be informed, that while we shall be glad to receive 
virtuous, orderly and industrious youth, it is not our wish to receive 
any of a different character ; and that if others enter, a speedy re- 
formation, or a speedy dismission, must be the only alternative ex- 
pected. 

It has been found, by much experience, that nothing is more inju- 
rious to youth than an unrestricted use of money. It furnishes both 
the means and the temptation to idleness, dissipation and vice. The 
parent who is not guarded in this particular, need not be surprised 
at finding his child deficient in study, and falling under censure for 
disorder or mischief. The spending of much money here, beyond 
the stated expenses of college, is not necessary, nor honourable, nor 
in any respect useful. It would be well if every parent would require 
his child to keep an accurate and detailed account of his expenses — > 
to demand this at the end of each session, and when excess is suspec- 
ted, to consult the president of the college on the subject, 



F9- 



408 



NOTES. 



SCALE OF MERIT. 

Name of the class. 

Behaviour, No. 
Industry, No. 
Scholarship, No. 

Signed by order of the faculty, 

Nassau-Hall, 



Clerk. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 

The stated expenses of the college, e£ch session paid in advance, 
exclusive of books, clothes, candles, room furniture, and travelling 
expenses, are as follow, viz. 



WINTER SESSION. 




SUMMER SESSK 


3N. 


Board 22 weeks 


$55 00 


Board 19 weeks 


47 50 


Tuition 


24 00 


Tuition 


24 00 


Room-rent 


6 00 


Room-rent 


6 00 


Wood 


15 00 


Library 


1 00 


Library 


1 00 


Servants' Wages 


4 00 


Servants' Wages 


4 00 


Washing 


7 00 


Washing 


7 00 


Damages and Shoe- 


Damages and Shoe-blacking 


2 00 


blacking 


2 00 




$114 00 


$91 50 


Extra Damages 




Extra Damages 





New students pay, entrance $5 00 : and for 1 copy of the printed 
Laws of the college, 33 cents. 

A student dismissed from college, for whatever cause, will have 
refunded to him the whole which he has advanced for board, from 
the time of dismission. 

The annual commencement of the college is on the last Wednes- 
day of September. The fall vacation begins the day after commence- 
ment, and expires in six weeks. The spring vacation begins on the 
first Thursday after the second Tuesday in April, and expires in 
five weeks. 

No student will be admitted into the freshman or lowest class in 
the college, unless he be accurately acquainted with the grammar, 
including prosody, of both the Greek and Latin tongues ; unless he 
be master of Caesar's Commentaries, Sallust, select parts of Ovid's 
Metamorphoses, Virgil, the Orations of Cicero contained in the vol- 
ume in Usum Dclfi/iini, the Evangelists of the Greek Testament, 
Murphy's Lucian or Dalzel'-s Collectanea Gracca Minora, the first 



NOTES. 



403 



three books of Xenophon's Cyropsedia, and of Mair's or Clarke's In^ 
troduction to the Making of Latin ; and unless he be well acquainted 
with Arithmetick, English Grammar and Geography. 

The catechism of the church to which the candidate belongs is 
also required. 

THE STUDIES OF THE SEVERAL CLASSES ARE AS 
FOLLOW: 



FRESHMAN CLASS. 

Winter Session. 
Arithmetick, 
Geography, 
English Grammar, 
Mair's Introduction to the Making 

of Latin, 
Ovid, 
Virgil, 
Xenophon, 
Composition. 

Summer Session. 
Arithmetick, Algebra, 
Geography, 
English Grammar, 
Mair's Introduction, 
Horace, 
Xenophon, 

Dalzel's Collectanea Gneca Majora, 
Composition. 



SOPHOMORE CLASS. 

Winter Session. 
Arithmetick, Geography, 
English Grammar, History, 
Mair's Introduction, 
Horace, 

Collectanea Grxca Majora, 
Homer's Iliad, 
Composition, 
Algebra. 

Summer Session, 
Arithmetick, Geography, 
English Grammar, Jamison's^ 

Rhetorick, 
Mair's Introduction, 
Cicero, 

Roman Antiquities, 
Collectanea Grseca Majora, 
Homer, 
Composition, 
Algebra. 



JUNIOR 

Winter Session. 
Geometry — (Playfair's Euclid) 
Plane Trigonometry, 
Mensuration, Surveying, 
Greek and Latin Classicks, 
Composition, History. 

Summer Session. 
Spherical Trigonometry, 
Elements of Astronomy, 
■Navigation, 



CLASS. 

Summer Session. 
Conic Sections and Curve Lines^ 
Application of Algebra to Geom- 
etry, 
Fluxions, 
Mechanicks, 

Greek and Latin Classicks, 
Composition, 
Natural Theology, 
Locke on Human Understanding 



404 NOTES. 

SENIOR CLASS. 

Winter Session. Summer Session. 

Belles Lettres and Rhetorick, Belles Lettres, 
Composition, Composition, 

Moral Philosophy, Mechanicks, 

Logick, Chemistry, 

Metaphysicks, Political Econo- Experimental Philosophy, 

my and Philosophy of mind, Astronomy, 
Mechanicks, Natural History, 

Chemistry, Evidences of the Christian Re- 

Natural History, ligion, 

Experimental Philosophy, Greek and Latin Classicks. 

Greek and Latin Classicks. 

All the classes read and are examined on a portion of the Holy 
Scriptures on the Sabbath. 

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the College of New- Jer- 
sey, at Princeton, on the 13th of April, 1819, it was resolved that 
the following notice to the parents and guardians of the youth in this 
college, should be given through the medium of the public Newspa- 
pers, viz. 

" As great Gomplaints have frequently been made in regard to the 
amount of expense incurred by some of the youth belonging to this 
college ; complaints arising wholly from superfluous expense, since 
the necessary charges of the institution are certainly moderate ; and 
as all other means which have been used to correct this evil have 
been found inadequate ; the trustees of this college give this notice to 
the parents and guardians of the youth, that they ought to pay no 
debt contracted in this town, which they have not explicitly author- 
ized : And the trustees do earnestly request that no such debt may 
be paid by any parent or guardian. The trustees have, also, earnest- 
ly to request that parents and guardians would pay a special regard 
to the statement made to them twice a year, in the circular letters 
of the college, which is to this effect — That the spending of much 
money by the students of this college is not necessary, nor useful, nor 
honourable ; but in all respects injurious : That whenever parents 
put considerable sums of money at the disposal of their children, 
they furnish the means of vice and the temptation to it, and have, in 
most cases, nothing to expect but that idleness, dissipation and dis- 
honour, will be the consequence ; and that whenever excess of ex- 
pense is suspected, the president of the college ought immediately 
to be consulted on the subject. 



NOTES. 405 

The necessary annual expenses of this college, exclusive of clothes, 
books, and pocket money, amount to about $225* ; and if an equal 
sum be allowed by parents who make all their purchases in this 
place, for clothes, books and incidental charges, so as to make the 
whole sum expended $450, the allowance is not only sufficient, but 
ample. Many live with entire reputation on much less, and none 
ought to spend more. 

Having given the statement, and made the request contained in 
this notice, the board must leave the concern with the parents and 
guardians of youth : It is impossible, either for the trustees or the 
faculty of the college, to prevent the spending of money when it is 
possessed; or the contracting of unnecessary and unlawful debts, if s 
through a false principle of honor, these debts be paid. 
Signed by order of the Board, 

ISAAC H. WILLIAMSON, 
Governor of the State of New- Jersey, and, 
Ex-offtcio President of the Board" 



NOTE E— Page 50. 

In the passage of the discourse from which there is a reference to, 

this note, the thought is borrowed from the conclusion of Dr. Ar- 

buthnot's well known and justly celebrated epitaph on Francis Char- 

tres ; the whole of which is here inserted, for the purpose of easy- 

reference and as illustrative of the point discussed. 

" Here continueth to rot 

The Body of FRANCIS CHARTRES, 

Who, with an Inflexible Constancy 

and Inimitable Uniformity of Life, 

Persisted, 

In spite of Age and Infirmities, 

In the Practice of Every human Vice ; 

Excepting Prodigality and Hypocrisy : 

His insatiable Avarice exempted him from the first, 

His matchless Impudence from the second. 

Nor was he more singular, 

Jn the undeviating Pravity of his Manners, 

Than successful 

In Accumulating Wealth; 

For, without Trade or Profession, 

Without Trust of Publick Money, 

* At present, only §205 5Q» 



406 NOTES. 

And without Bribe-worthy Service, 

He acquired, or more properly created, 

A Ministerial estate. 

He was the only Person of his Time, 

Who could cheat without the Mask of Honesty, 

Retain his primeval Manners 

When possessed of Ten Thousand a year, 

And having daily deserved the Gibbet for what he did, 

Was at last condemned to it for what he could not do. 

Oh Indignant Reader ! 

Think not his Life useless to Mankind ! 

Providence connived at his execrable Designs, 

To give to after-ages 

A conspicuous Proof and Example, 

Of how small Estimation is Exhorbitant Wealth 

In the Sight of God, 

By his bestowing it on the most Unworthy of All Mortals/ 



NOTE F—Page 52. 

The author here refers to Doctor Witherspoon's " address to the 
senior class, on the Lord's day preceding commencement ;" which 
was first published in 1783. Ever since the writer has been in his 
present office, he has not only directed the attention of his pupils to 
this address, but in their senior year has prescribed it as the subject 
of study and examination, at the close of their course of Moral Phi- 
losophy. It is believed that it will not be easy to find elsewhere, 
within the same compass, so much useful and appropriate advice to 
liberally educated youth, as is contained in this address. Having 
experienced through the whole of his past life, the benefit of the 
deep imprcs. ion which this excellent composition made on his own 
mind when entering on the world, the writer earnestly recommends 
its repeated and careful perusal to every youthful reader ; especially 
to such as are looking forward to the liberal professions, or to litera- 
ry pursuits of whatever kind. It is the matured production of a man 
of piety, erudition, knowledge of the world, and deep insight intQ 
human nature. 



NOTE G— Fage 88. 

Deeply sensible, as the author is, that no attainment in science can 
ever compensate for the loss, or the lasting injury of moral principle 
and purity ; still ho is not prepared to go the length of those, who 



NOTES. 407 

would proscribe the reading of the ancient classick authors, in a 
course of liberal education. Without the careful reading of these 
authors, it is in vain to expect that classical literature will ever be 
fully acquired; and it is this literature which furnishes, at once, the 
best basis for the superstructure of all liberal knowledge, and the key- 
by which many of the apartments must be unlocked, in which some of 
its richest treasures are lodged. Reasons of the most conclusive kind 
are necessary, to justify the rejection or disuse of the means, by 
which such advantages are to be acquired. Reasons of this character 
the writer has never yet heard alleged. The objection which is com- 
monly taken from the heathen mythology, has with him little weight. 
He rather believes that a full acquaintance with that mythology, is 
not calculated to impress the youthful mind with any sentiments in 
its favour; but, on the contrary, to shew impressively the sottish- 
ness of idolatry, and the infinite importance and value of divine rev- 
elation. Some passages of gross impurity are very properly omitted, 
in the best editions of the ancient classicks which are intended for 
youth; and other omissions may be made, at the discretion of a ju- 
dicious teacher. 

The mischief chiefly to be apprehended from a familiarity with 
these writings, and to which there is a reference in the discourse, is 
believed to be the very same which may be produced, and often is 
produced, by reading many publications of literary merit, in our own 
language — The reader is in danger of imbibing the sentiments and 
spirit of the authors that he frequently peruses and greatly admires. 
From this cause, probably, it has not seldom happened, that an im- 
moderate thirst of fame has been contracted; that the heroick mili- 
tary character, with all its vices and vileness, has been approved and 
emulated; that the principles of pride, of resentment and revenge, of 
worldly honour and unbounded ambition, have been implanted and 
strongly radicated ; that licentious pleasures and indulgences have no 
longer been esteemed criminal, but have come to be regarded and 
sought, as the proper appendages of a fashionable character and an 
aspiring mind; in a word that a system of views and opinions has been 
acquired and cherished, directly and malignantly hostile to the en- 
tire spirit, principles and doctrines of the Gospel. Here, it is believ- 
ed, is the real danger ; and a danger it certainly is, of a very serious 
and alarming character. The inquiry is, how shall it be avoided or 
counteracted? Can it be avoided by always keeping youth, whose 
business it is to read and extend their knowledge, from perusing 
those writings from which the danger arises? Nay, if it be, as it cer- 
tainly is, from educated men that we are to expect the correction of 
error and vice, how, it may be asked, can they be qualified to admin- 



408 NOTES. 

ister this correction, without some accurate knowledge of the sources 
and nature of the errors and vices which prevail ? Ought not even a 
candidate for the Gospel ministry to be well acquainted with the 
heathen mythology, and with the spirit and opinions of the heathen 
writers generally ? It will not be fair to say, that the answer which the 
author plainly intends should be given to these questions, will go to 
justify the perusal of all the books of uncleanness, or of blasphemy, to 
which a scholar may gain access. Such compositions, at least among 
us, must be searched after ', or they will not be found. The authors and 
publishers of such works ought to receive the heaviest punishment 
due to the corruptors of society ; and the youth who seeks for them, 
manifests a disposition to vice and a strength of depravity, which 
call for the most rigorous restraint and discipline. The reading from 
which the author believes that studious youth cannot, and ought not 
to be precluded, is that which has literary taste and reputation on 
its side, and without which the weapons of virtue themselves cannot 
be wielded to the greatest advantage. It is that which the scholar 
who should attempt to avoid, must not merely shun the ancient clas- 
sicks, he " must needs go out of the world" — 

" Est modus in rebus ; sunt certi denique fines, 
Quos ultra, citraque nequit consistere rectum." 

If, then, it is no longer worth while to inquire whether it would 
not be better if a youth should never see a book of the kind con- 
templated, since the thing is impossible — the only remaining inquiry 
is, whether he would not better meet his danger under the guidance 
and protection of a discreet and pious leader, than be left to encoun- 
ter it afterwards, by himself. The author thinks that it ought to be - 
a part of his education, to show him his danger distinctly, and to 
teach him how to escape it; and he believes that the most effectual 
way to accomplish this, is to mingle the study of the Bible with the 
study of the Greek and Roman classicks. 

If, indeed, scholarship alone were in question, why should not the 
oldest, and in every view the best book in the world, be studied, in 
a course of liberal education ? Why should not the antiquities — the 
manners and customs, the history and poetry, of the Hebrews, as 
well as those of the Greeks and Romans, be considered as an impor- 
tant attainment for every scholar. Why should he not be made 
acquainted with the source from which many of the laws and usages, 
as well as the whole religion of his country, have been derived ? 
Will he always acquire a sufficient knowledge of the sacred scrip- 
tures in his domestick education, or by a perusal of them as a matter 
of his own choice ? Alas ! itis a fact equally notorious and shameful, 



NOTES. 409 

that men of liberal education are sometimes more ignorant of the 
Bible, than of almost any other book of reputation. 

As a corrective of the erroneous principles, not only of the Greek 
and Roman writers, but of many in our own, and perhaps in every mod- 
ern language, the study of the Holy Scriptures is important beyond 
estimation. They afford a pure and perfect standard — the only one 
which exists — of moral principle and action. If the youthful mind 
be thoroughly imbued with the doctrines which they teach, and be 
rationally convinced — as it may, even without practical piety, be 
convinced, of the unspeakable superiority of the revealed system to 
every thing which is hostile to it in the productions of uninspired 
men, the best possible security will be provided against the danger 
in contemplation. Nay, we may safely go farther and affirm, that 
the very reading which otherwise might have been pernicious, will 
now, probably, become in a high degree useful. It may not only be 
the source of much valuable information and improvement, which 
every scholar ought to possess, but may serve strikingly to demon- 
strate the necessity of a divine revelation, by showing into what 
monstrous absurdities and errors the human mind has always been 
betrayed, on the subjects of religion and morals, when left to its own 
unaided efforts ; and how men of the most powerful intellect are sure 
to mistake, and to mislead others, whenever they are ignorant, or 
forgetful, or regardless of this unerring guide. 

If during the whole period of a classical education, those parts of 
the christian Sabbath which are not occupied in publick worship, 
and in other exercises proper to the day of sacred rest, should be 
employed in the study of the sacred writings, as much knowledge of 
them would be obtained as would be amply sufficient for all the pur- 
poses to which the author has here supposed that the knowledge of 
them should be applied ; provided only that the application be imme- 
diately, and assiduously, and discreetly made, by the teachers 
of youth. Let the teacher remark to his pupils, in the most engag- 
ing and impressive manner he can devise, on all the erroneous prin- 
ciples and sentiments which occur in classical reading. Let him 
shew their unreasonableness and their evil tendency ; let him point 
out their contrariety and their inferiority, to the holy doctrines and 
precepts, and to the faultless morality of divine revelation. When 
the scriptures are recited, let obscurities and difficulties be explained, 
and the lessons of practical instruction, derivable from the particular 
portion before the student, be clearly educed and affectionately incul- 
cated. Let the peculiar doctrines of the New Testament be often 
stated, and its pure, and meek, and gentle, and forgiving, and pa* 
tient, and benevolent spirit, be set in contrast witlj the direct oppo- 

as 



410 NOTES. 

sites of such a spirit, as exemplified and recommended in other com- 
positions. Let the perfect character of the Redeemer of the world 
be often exhibited and dwelt on ; and let the example of the holy 
apostles and other eminent saints, as recorded in the sacred writings, 
be recommended to the attention and imitation of the young — Let this 
be done, with fidelity and perseverance, and it is believed that not only 
will the reading of the ancient classicks be without injury, but that the 
most effectual means will be used to neutralise all the deleterious 
matter which liberally educated youth will meet with, in the various 
books which they may and ought to peruse. A seed of divine truth 
will, moreover, be implanted in their minds, which, in some season 
of seriousness, and under the life giving influence of the Spirit of all 
grace, may spring up, and bring forth fruit unto life everlasting. 
That the plan here recommended will require patient and laborious 
efforts to carry it into effect, is admitted ; but the object sought is 
surely worth all the pains and endeavours which are necessary to 
obtain it, 

In what the author has here said on the study of the Holy Scrip- 
tures, he has not been proposing a mere speculation, or an untried 
and uncertain theory. He has stated Avhat he has, for himself, made 
a matter of experiment ; the good effects of which he has seen, and 
in which he hopes to rejoice in the most solemn crisis of his exis- 
tence. He here bears his testimony to the practical efficacy and 
manifest utility of this plan, of mingling the study of the Sacred 
Scriptures with all the other studies of a literary institution. And with 
the utmost deference, he earnestly recommends the serious conside- 
ration of it, to all who have the sacred charge of directing the read- 
ing and forming the minds of youth. Among the means which are 
used to evangelize the world, it is his belief that one of the most 
powerful would be, to evangelize the course of a liberal education ; 
and he hopes the day is approaching when this will be generally 
seen ; when the salt of revealed truth shall so heal the fountains of 
science, that all the streams which issue from them " shall make 
glad the city of God." 

NOTE G— Page 94. 
[This letter, by an error of the press, is here used for reference a 
second time.] 
The author had occasion, about sixteen years ago, to explain 
somewhat more at large, and in opposition to the militating er- 
rors, the principles which he maintains and inculcates in this part 
of his discourse; and he has determined to insert in the present 
note what was then written. At the time referred to, he was en- 






NOTES. 411 

gaged, with a highly respectable coadjutor, to review those articles 
in Rees' Cyclopaedia, which relate to moral and religious subjects; 
that the American edition of the work might, at least, contain an 
antidote to the Socinian poison, which was plentifully diffused through 
the first volumes of the English copy. It was under the article 
Angel, that the offensive paragraph appeared, to which the sub- 
joined extract was introduced as a reply. — The paragraph is as 
follows : 

" According to the opinion of those who maintain the fall of an- 
gels, they are represented as being cast out of Heaven, abandoned 
to iniquity, and making it their business to seduce mankind, and 
taking pleasure in doing them all kinds of injury. Others, howev- 
er, among whom we may reckon Dr. Priestley, consider the fall of 
angels as very problematical ; and though it cannot be said that 
the thing is absolutely impossible, yet they conceive that it seems, 
upon the face of it, to be very improbable. Besides, if such exalted 
beings as these are supposed to have sinned, and to have thereby 
become obnoxious to the divine displeasure, what end, they ask, 
could it answer to them to be so assiduous in seducing mankind ? 
Indeed, upon the supposition that their existence and torments were 
to be everlasting, it may be conceived to give them a kind of gloomy 
satisfaction to have " brethren in iniquity" for their companions in 
their sufferings. Priestley's Institutes, vol. ii. p. 433. Bekker, of 
Amsterdam, maintains, that the word translated " angels," in Jude 
v. 6, and also 2. Peter ii. 4, should be " messengers ; [alleging] 
that here is no reference to fallen angels, but to the history of the 
persons sent out by Moses to spy out, and make report of the land 
of Canaan, and to their false and wicked account, so as \o discourage 
their countrymen from obeying the divine command." On this par- 
agraph the author made the subsequent remarks — 

We are expressly told by Christ himself that at the general judg- 
ment he will say to the wicked, " Depart from me ye cursed into 
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil And his angels." To the 
Jews he said " Ye are of your father th^ devil — he is a liar and the 
father of it — a murderer from the beginning." We are also inform- 
ed that Christ was " led up inte the wilderness to be tempted of 
the devil ;" that " the tempter came tG him ;" and a detailed ac- 
count is given of the very words and artifices that were used in the 
temptation, and of the replies and defeat which they received from 
the Saviour. The author of the Acts of the Apostles states, that it 
was a part of the work of Christ, when on earth, " to heal all those 
that were oppressed of the devil ;" and a large portion of the evan- 
gelic history is employed in giving us an account of those who were 



412 NOTES. 

thus healed. By the apostle Paul, we are warned " not to give place 
to the devil ;" taught how "we may be able to stand against the 
wiles of the devil ;" apprised of the danger of " falling into the con- 
demnation of the devil;" shewn how those who have fallen may " re- 
cover themselves out of the snare of the devil ;" and told that there 
are certain doctrines which are " doctrines of devils." St. James 
gives this admonition — " Resist the devil and he Avill flee from you;" 
he assures us that the " devils believe and tremble;" and that there 
is a kind of wisdom that is " earthly, sensual, devilish." The author 
of the Epistle to the Hebrews declares, that Christ died " that he 
might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil." 
The same thing is taught by St. John, who testifies, that " for this 
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the 
work of the devil;" and adds, that " he that committeth sin is of the 
devil." St. Peter exhorts his brethren in this language : " Be sober, 
be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, 
walketh about seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfast 
in the faith." The same apostle, in his second epistle, informs us 
that " God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to 
hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto 
judgment." This coincides exactly with what we are told by St. 
Jude, who is supposed by some to have quoted Peter, with a little 
amplification, where he says: "The angels Avhich kept not their 
first state, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in ever- 
lasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day." 
The writer of the Apocalypse speaks more than once of " the old 
serpent, which is the devil and satan," of his influence and instru- 
ments, and cf their final and eternal perdition. All this, and abun- 
dantly more than this, we are taught in the New Testament, about 
those apostate and fallen angels who are commonly called devils, 
and the chief or prince of whom appears to be denominated, by way 
of eminence, " the devil and satan." The selections have been made 
■with a particular view to shew that there is not a single writer of 
this part of the sacred canon who does not speak, in the plainest and 
most express terms, of these evil spirits, and in a manner which 
shews that their existence and agency is not to be doubted. And are 
we, notwithstanding this, to be gravely informed by writers pro- 
fessing Christianity, that they " consider the fall of angels as very 
problematical; and though it cannot be said, that the thing is abso- 
lutely impossible, yet they conceive that it seems, upon the face of 
it, to be very improbable ?" What ! " very problematical," and " upon 
the face of it very improbable," when the fact is attested by Christ, and 
by all the writers of the New Testament! Yes, exactly so. But can 



NOTES. 413 

those who talk at this rate justly claim to be considered as chris- 
tians at all ? No, assuredly. And when men who must be active, 
have in their hearts taken the side, it is earnestly to be wished that 
they would openly appear in the ranks of infidelity : that thus they 
might no longer possess the advantage of thrusting at religion, under 
the guise of friendship ; nor of betraying her sacred cause to the en- 
my by a pretended defence, or by weakening or throwing down the 
ramparts on which her safety depends. 

Christians may reduce all questions of controversy in regard to 
their religion, to the two following, which they would do well often 
to place distinctly before them : First, is the Scripture the word of 
God ? — Secondly, Is any doctrine, fact, or proposition, which is made 
the subject of inquiry or speculation, contained in that word ? On the 
first of these questions believers have their controversy with pro- 
fessed infidels: the second furnishes the ground of many debates 
among christians themselves. But the matter which arises out of* 
these questions, severally, ought never to be mixed. If a man profess 
to receive the Scripture as a divine revelation, he forecloses all con- 
troversy about its authority ; because the word of God is a much 
better security for truth than any deductions of human reason. He 
may have difficulties in explaining or vindicating some truths which 
he receives under the sanction of a divine warrant, but still he is not 
to deny those truths. This appears, in fact, to have been the under- 
standing of almost every writer of reputation on the subjects of chris- 
tian controversy, till lately. Those who were supposed to wish for a 
greater latitude, did not choose openly to avow it. Within a few 
years, however, the Socinians, finding it impracticable fairly to de- 
fend their creed against the artillery of revelation, with which their 
opponents were likely to demolish it, have sought arms and aid from 
the camp of infidelity. They have contended, at one time, like chris- 
tians, and at another, like deists, and often have alternately taken the 
ground, and used the weapons, of both parties in the same combat. 
This system they did not adopt all at once, nor without some caution 
and address. At first, they seemed only to be carrying to the point 
of perfection a plan on which they had, in some measure, acted, from 
the days of Socinus himself. They employed much art and assiduity 
to shew that the sacred writings had suffered greatly by some impor- 
tant interpolations, and by numerous and gross corruptions. Much, 
likewise, was said to inculcate the belief that a great part of the in- 
spired volume ought to be considered merely as allegorical, or so 
highly figurative that no precise intellectual truth, or well defined 
doctrine, can satisfactorily be derived from it; that it admits of many 
interpretations, and may be made to consist with that which is given 



414 NOTES. 

by them, as well as with any other. These are the limits to which 
some of the corps still confine themselves. * Others, however, among 
whom we may reckon Dr. Priestley, Bekker of Amsterdam,' and a 
host of German Socinians, have been less scrupulous, and have pro- 
ceeded to far greater lengths. They do not all exactly agree in the 
same representations, for they love to appear not to act in concert. 
Among them, however, they have not merely insinuated, but pro- 
fessedly maintained, that Jesus Christ and his apostles, though they 
were honest good men, and at times much favoured of heaven, 
(Christ being the chief of the prophets) yet were not only liable to 
err, but did actually err and teach their errors to others; that they 
quoted Scripture, from the Old Testament, very incorrectly, and ap- 
plied it very fancifully and absurdly; that they were taught many 
Jewish dogmas that were utterly false, which they either 7'eceived 
as truths themselves, or else, knowing them not to be true, not only 
did not undeceive their followers, but inculcated falsehood as if it 
had been truth—and such a falsehood, they especially insist, is the doc- 
trine, that there is a devil or evil spirit; that the apostle Paul is fre- 
quently a very inconclusive reasoner, adopting principles that are un- 
sound, and forming conclusions that are untenable; that we have no 
reason to believe that there was any thing miraculous in the concep- 
tion of our blessed Lord, but that he ought rather to be considered 
as the natural son of Joseph. We are too much shocked and dis- 
gusted to proceed with this detail, though there are ample materials 
for the purpose. 

Thus, then, this class of Socinians claim to bring the whole Scrip- 
ture before the bar of their own reason, and to pronounce the sen- 
tence of falsehood on as much of it as to them may seem meet — not 
because it is corrupted or interpolated, not because the writers are 
misrepresented, but because they actually taught what is erroneous, 
and, for that reason, ought to be corrected or condemned. The only 
point in which they differ from acknowledged infidels is, in admit- 
ting that the Scripture, after all, contains a revelation from God ; 
though they will by no means consent to specify what are the par- 
ticular parts which they will recognize as such, and by which they 
will abide as the divine word, and the umpire of controversy. Fre- 
quently and earnestly have they been pressed to do this, but they 
have never done it. Hence it is that controversy with them becomes 
endless, because it is impossible to terminate it, while the parties 
have no common authority or principles to which they may appeal. 
Hence, also, Deism, open and unreserved, has been most extensively 
propagated, through the medium of Socinianism. For, if the Bible 
be that interpolated, corrupted, allegorical and erroneous book, 



NOTES. 413 

which these men would make it, common sense revolts at the idea 
of receiving it as a revelation from God, and a guide to future hap- 
piness. If all its doctrines and principles are at last to be subjected 
to every man's own decision whether they shall be received or re- 
jected, why not consult your reason alone and at once ? Why bring 
the master to the scholar, when you know beforehand that much 
which he will say will be weak, and empty, and erroneous ? It is 
easier, say infidels, to believe, not only all the mysteries, but all the 
superstitions, that christians ever received, than to believe that the 
infinitely wise and good God has given mankind the revelation of 
his will in such a form as this. And here, for once, we declare our- 
selves of their opinion. But, so far from rejecting revelation as the 
consequence, we contend for receiving and maintaining it simply and 
entirely as we find it in the Bible, in the originals of the Old and 
New Testaments. Let these originals be the subject of diligent study 
and of sound and reverent criticism. On the score of emendation, let 
them be treated as respectfully, at least, as the copies of the best 
heathen writers, than which they have been much better guarded 
against corruption. In this manner, let us discover what revelation 
teaches; and then let us receive it with docility, humility and thank- 
fulness, as the word of life. Let us not bring to the study of the 
Scripture a system already formed in our own minds and fortified 
by prejudice; but let us go to it in the first instance, and without 
prejudice, to learn what is the system which we ought to receive. 
With the temper of children, let us sit at the feet of the Saviour, 
imbibe his instructions and obey his precepts. As far as we are able, 
let us explain what is difficult ; but when we can go no farther let us 
treat the difficulties of revelation as we do those of the other works 
of God — as we do the profound, obscure and contradictory things 
which appear in creation and providence, and in regard to which the 
be st philosophers are alw ays the readiest frankly to confess their ig- 
norance. Let us not be ashamed to acknowledge that there are certain 
things which, for the present, we do not fully understand ; and let us 
Avait for more light in this world, or for stronger faculties in the 
world to come. The maxims of sound reason and philosophy, not 
less than the injunctions of the Gospel, point out to us this course. 

So much for this subject in general, which it seemed necessary a 
little to discuss, and for which this appeared as proper a place as 
any. Since, indeed, it has been determined that nothing which ap- 
pears in " Rees's New Cyclopaedia" shall henceforth be omitted in 
the American edition of the work, we thought it incumbent to avow, 
and we have accordingly here avowed, the principles which will 
govern us in examining and remarking on the moral and theological 



41G NOTES. 

opinions which it exhibits. We are sensible that this is an arduous;* 
an important, and a delicate duty. We have approached it, not with- 
out undissembled diffidence in our ability to discharge it worthily. 
In its execution we believe that we can promise diligence and vigi- 
lance, and we shall endeavour not to transgress the prescriptions of 
decorum, the laws of candour, nor the demands of christian meek- 
ness. With all this, however, we believe it to be perfectly consistent 
to say, that it will be matter of little concern to us in what class of 
living literary merit the name may be enrolled, or in what niche of 
the temple of fame the statue may be found, of him who has touched 
irreverently the hallowed depository of God's revealed will. In the 
best manner we can, we will withstand his audacity, expose his im- 
piety, and invest him with his proper character ; for we believe, with 
Young, that "with the talents of an angel a man may be a fool." 
Those who sympathize with heretics and infidels will in vain endeav- 
our to turn us from our purpose. Our work is sacred, and we dare 
not slight it ; our responsibility is not only to man but to God. 

In regard to the section which has given occasion to this explana- 
tion, little farther need be said. As all who believe in the existence of 
fallen angels adopt " the supposition that their existence and torments 
will be everlasting," it is admitted by the sage objector himself, that 
" it may be supposed to give them a kind of gloomy satisfaction to have 
brethren in iniquity for their companions in their sufferings;" and 
consequently an answer is given to the question, " what end could 
it answer to them to be so assiduous in seducing mankind?" But to 
this we will add, that as these evil spirits are uniformly represent- 
ed as being filled with malignity against God, so it is the natural ex- 
pression of this infernal temper to endeavour to dishonour him in his 
works, one of the noblest of which is his creature man. As to the 
criticisms of Bekker on the passages in Jude and Peter, we think 
that whoever will consult the context of the places referred to will 
want no other evidence to convince him that the remark is wholly 
without foundation. The passage in Peter, particularly, cannot pos- 
sibly admit of the construction that has been given it; as " the his- 
tory of the persons sent out by Moses to spy out and make report of 
the land of Canaan," has no more to do with the subject which the 
apostle is there treating of, than the history of the American revolu- 
tion. 

NOTE H— Fage 124. 

The eulogy of deceased friends is often extravagant, and parental 
eulogy is more likely to be so than perhaps any other. Sensible of 
this, and yet resolved, in leaving a memorial of a beloved first-bom 



NOTES. 417 

son, to indulge himself a little more in a note, than he thought pro- 
per to do in a sermon, the author has determined to make a brief 
statement of facts, and a short extract from his diary, written at the 
time of his son's death ; and to leave them to be estimated by the 
reader, as lie shall think right. There are many friends and asso- 
ciates of the deceased, who will be able to judge how much of what 
is said should be imputed to parental partiality, and how much might 
have been said by one who had no such bias. The writer can only 
declare, that the representation which is here made, is in strict ac- 
cordance with his own apprehensions of the truth. 

Robert Stockton Green was born in the city of Philadelphia, 
July 30th, 178T. He was educated at Nassau-Hall, and graduated in 
September, 1805. After an illness of about two weeks, he died in 
Boston, at the house of a most kind and sympathizing friend, Ebene- 
zer Rockwood, esq. on a return from a journey, September 28th, 
1813, in the 27th year of his age. His remains were deposited in the 
family vault of Samuel Dexter, esq. whose benevolence and gene- 
rosity, in granting this honourable circumstance of sepulture, will 
ever be held by the friends of the deceased in the most grateful re- 
membrance. The subject of this memorial experienced no pain in 
the sickness which proved mortal, and was not supposed to be dan- 
gerously ill, by his friends and physician, till a little before his death. 
He retained the exercise of his reason till a few hours before his 
dissolution, and was observed by his nurse, throughout his last ill- 
ness, to be apparently engaged in frequent acts of devotion, as he lay 
on his bed. By the hand of a friend, he wrote to his father a most 
affectionate letter, a few days before he died, and with his own hand, 
the day before his death, he wrote a sentence or two, acknowledging 
his many obligations to his travelling companion, William Appleton, 
esq. and recommending him, in the most earnest manner, to the 
attention of his father. On being apprized of his death, the author 
wrote in his diary as follows: — 

Doubtless I have the partiality of a parent ; and affection, awakened 
by the death of a favourite child, is apt to magnify his amiable qual- 
ities. This, notwithstanding, I believe I may say with truth, that 
few parents could lose in a child, as much as I have lost in mine. — 
In his person he was tall and well made, and had a most expressive 
and pleasing countenance. He was distinguished by an amenity of 
temper, and a gracefulness and elegance of manners, very rarely 
seen. He was frank, candid, facetious, hospitable and kind. He had 
acquired more knowledge, and of more various kinds, than any 
other individual of his years, that I have ever personally known ; 
not so much, however, as several extraordinary youth of whom I 

H3 



418 NOTES. 

have read. He was becoming eminent as a lawyer; and was, I be- 
lieve, without a rival, of his own standing, both as to distinction and 
prospects. He was a critick in his own language, and a handsome 
and eloquent speaker. 

He had a full belief in divine revelation; not the effect merely of 
education, but of close and profound examination, terminating in a 
thorough and unwavering conviction of its truth and authority. On 
the deistical controversy he had read much, and understood it famil- 
iarly in all its parts and bearings ; so that he could sooner and more 
completely put an infidel to silence, than any other man whom I 
have ever known. He was well versed in the Holy Scriptures > and 
was orthodox in the great outlines of his religious creed. Talking to 
a friend, a little before his death, about the Unitarian system, he 
said, " take from the Gospel the divinity and atonement of Christ, 
and you leave little of importance behind." He was free from vice, 
and a constant and reverential attendant on publick worship. His 
seriousness was growing, and had manifestly increased within the 
last year of his life. Whether it had ripened into vital practical 
piety, is known to God, in whose hands I leave him — It certainly 
would now give me more comfort, if he had been unequivocally and 
eminently pious, than I derive from all the brilliant talents and 
attainments, by which he was unquestionably distinguished. 

It is my purpose to erect a monumental stone, by the side of that 
which covers his mother's grave, and to inscribe it thus- 
Parental affection 
Erected this Cenotaph, 
To the memory of a much beloved son, 
Robert Stockton Green, Esq. 
Counsellor at law ; 
Who died suddenly 
At Boston, in New-England, 

September 28th, 1813, 

In the 27th year of his age. 

Distinguished 

By amenity of temper, 

By courtesy and elegance of manners, 

By various and extensive knowledge, 

By professional eminence and prospects, 

By correct moral and religious principles, 

By the warm attachment 

Of an extensive and honourable 

Acquaintance, — 

He was " cut down like a flower ! w 






NOTES. 419 



Youthful votary of Genius and Science, 
Be taught at this jfteae, 

That SIMPLE PIETY 

May speedily be found 
The most valuable of all thy possessions, 



THE END, 



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